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October 6, 2006

Abbreviated Reg Relief Bill on President’s Desk
Prior to adjourning for the elections, the Senate approved a regulatory relief bill and cleared it for President Bush’s signature. Among other things, the bill increases the number of banks eligible for the extended exam cycle and directs the regulators to develop an optional, simplified privacy notice to give institutions a safe harbor for compliance purposes.  The bill also contains a troublesome provision dealing with the regulators’ enforcement of written agreements with directors, officers, and other “institution affiliated parties.” This provision was the subject of specific scrutiny on the floor with Senators asking regulators to be restrained in their use of this authority.  The regulators wrote a letter to Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) in August to assure Congress they understood the Congressional intent.  While it is unlikely more substantial regulatory relief will pass anytime soon, we encourage our members to continue to press your Congressman on this burden.  Our thanks to the American Bankers Association for providing a section by section analysis of the bill as passed.

Five New Directors Elected to GBA Board - 10 New Group Chairs Elected
GBA’s directors are either elected at the Group level, serve in a statewide At Large position or are officers elected by the membership as a whole.  At the recently completed Group Meetings, five new members were elected to the Board of Directors.  They will assume their duties at the annual convention next June at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.  Our congratulations to the following:

Group 2:  DeWitt Drew, Southwest Georgia Bank, Moultrie
Group 4:  Bill Gafford, McIntosh Commercial Bank, Carrollton
Group 6:  Allen Lancaster, The Gordon Bank
Group 8:  Stuart Smith, Douglas National Bank
Group 10:  Remer Brinson, First Bank of Georgia, Augusta

Also, 10 new Group Chairs were elected at these meetings:

Group 1:  Brent Sammons, Altamaha Bank & Trust Company, Vidalia
Group 2:  Stephen Cheney, Thomasville National Bank
Group 3:  Danny Minick, Flag Bank, Montezuma
Group 4:  Jim Edwards, United Bank, Griffin
Group 5:  Tony Mannino, Piedmont Bank of Georgia, Atlanta
Group 6:  Mark Stevens, Atlantic Southern Bank, Macon
Group 7:  Steve Kemp, United Community Bank, Rome
Group 8:  Lee Northcutt, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Lakeland
Group 9:  Andy Walker, First National Bank of Forsyth County, Cumming
Group 10:  Mike Malcom, Merchants and Farmers Bank, Comer

Sixth Annual Georgia BankPAC Golf Classic:  Still Time to Register
There’s still time to register for Leadership GBA’s sixth annual Georgia BankPAC Classic.  This two-man scramble tournament will be held on Wednesday, October 25, at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta.  The registration fee is $300 per two-man team or $150 per person and includes greens fees, cart, range balls, lunch and a reception.  It’s also a great opportunity to invite your legislators and directors and to network with your colleagues in the banking industry across the state.  A block of rooms has also been reserved at the Comfort Inn, Valdosta at a negotiated rate of $49 a night for single or double occupancy.  You may make your reservations by calling the hotel directly at (229) 242-1212.  Be sure to let them know you are with the Georgia Bankers Association to receive this special rate.  If you have any questions about the tournament, please contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.  Click here to register online.

GBA BankPAC Update
Since the last Bulletin, the officers, directors and staff of The First National Bank of Barnesville, George Butler, CEO, has contributed to the GBA FedPAC.  Thank you for your support.  For information, please call Elizabeth Chandler at (404) 420-2027.  Click here for this week’s BankPAC Update.

Introduction to Consumer Lending Seminar Scheduled for October 18
If you’re looking for an introduction and a practical approach to consumer lending, make plans to attend GBA’s Introduction to Consumer Lending seminar scheduled for Wednesday, October 18, at the Dubose Training Center, Heart of Georgia Technical College in Dublin.  This one-day seminar is designed to assist participants in understanding the credit process, to improve the quality of credit decisions and to increase their confidence skills.  Participants will learn how to identify the varied functions of a consumer lender, describe the components of a sound consumer loan portfolio, conduct an effective credit investigation and much more.  Please call GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010 with questions.

Register Today for the Marketing Conference
The Marketing Committee has planned an excellent program based on the theme “A Holistic Approach to Marketing Financial Services.”  You won’t want to miss this year’s Conference, scheduled for October 26-27 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta.  Please call GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032 with questions about the Conference.  Register now to take advantage of this great opportunity to network with your colleagues.

SOTS Scheduled for November
GBA’s Southern Operations and Technology School will be held November 5-10 at the University of Georgia.  As a resource for focused training in banking technology and operations, the School is the premier provider in the Southeast and one of only a few in the country.  The two-year program covers four areas: compliance, risk management, technology and general management.  For more information or to register, please call GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032 for details.

Credit Conference:  November 29-30
GBA’s Credit Conference, slated for November 29-30 at the Cobb Galleria adjoining the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, will highlight major topics of interest to bank lenders.  Jimmy Tallent, President and CEO of United Community Banks, Inc., Blairsville, will deliver the keynote address.  General sessions include an economic forecast, peer discussions and a regulatory update.  There will be 2 sets of concurrent sessions.  The first two sessions are “Commercial Real Estate Trends” and “Loan Portfolio Management.”  The second set of concurrent sessions is “Southeast Georgia and Atlanta New Housing Markets” and “Appraisal Quality.”  Thanks to 2006-2007 Credit Committee Chair David Coxon, President and CEO of United Community Bank in Fairburn, for his leadership and to the Committee for their expertise in planning an informative and dynamic agenda.  For hotel reservations, call the Renaissance Waverly Hotel at (770) 953-4500 prior to October 30, 2006.  For more details about the conference and to register, please contact GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032.

Register Now for AIB Online Courses
Just a reminder that the following AIB online classes begin on October 30.  Please register no later than two weeks ahead of time to secure a seat in the class.

• ABA Online Review Course for the CTFA Exam (open enrollment), 12 weeks, $750

• Consumer Lending, 16 weeks, $375

• Principles of Banking, 16 weeks, $375

• Today's Teller: Developing Basic Skills* (open enrollment), 8 weeks, $275

There is still availability in the following AIB online classes beginning October 23.  Please register as soon as possible to secure a seat in the class.

• Commercial Lending, 16 weeks, $375

• General Accounting, 16 weeks, $475

• Law & Banking: Applications, 16 weeks, $425

• Managing Funding, Liquidity and Capital*, 6 weeks, $545

These courses are instructor-facilitated with weekly assignments.  They can be taken from the comfort of your home or the convenience of your office. All you need is a computer, printer and Internet access. (Classes with an asterisk * require Microsoft Excel Software.)  For a complete listing, see the AIB Online Fall 2006 Schedule.  Please call GBA’s Alison Moreau at (404) 420-2034 with questions.

Welcome New Participant
The GBA Insurance Trust, Inc. Board of Directors welcomes to the Trust Vinings Bank, Atlanta, Dan Oliver, CEO.  This company joins more than 290 community banks and associate members in this unmatched member benefit.  Please call GBA’s Susan Kelley at (404) 420-2017 for details.

Status of Important Banking Cases
Our thanks to the Office of the General Counsel of the American Bankers Association for making available the newest edition of the Status of Important Banking Cases to the members of our Bank Counsel Section.  This monthly report gives bank attorneys up to date information on litigation involving banks across the country.  This report is another member benefit for the attorneys in GBA's Bank Counsel Section.  With questions about how your bank's attorney can participate, please call GBA's Kenyetta Parks at (404) 420-2035.

Relief Available for 401(k) Plans
Is 401(k) testing limiting what your bank officers can contribute to your 401(k) Plan?  Safe harbor plans are increasing in popularity to allow officers to contribute more to their retirement plans.  Plans that guarantee a 100% match up to 4% of compensation or a 3% of compensation profit sharing contribution can be exempt from ADP/ACP discrimination testing and possibly even exempt from top-heavy testing depending on different factors.  Employees must be immediately 100% vested in all safe harbor contributions, regardless of years of service with the bank.  The Master 401(k) Plan offered under GBA Retirement Services, Inc. is already set up to accommodate safe harbor plans.  Anyone electing safe harbor options for 2007 must decide by November 1, 2006 in order to allow time for the required participant notices. Retirement plans help to ensure employee morale and superior performance.  The programs offered through the GBA Master Trust provide flexibility to meet the needs of any bank or associate member who may be looking to add or change their qualified retirement plan.  Please contact Mandy Richards at (404) 420-2025 for information on how GBA Retirement Services can help design a retirement plan for your bank.

2006 GBA Salary Survey is Complete
We appreciate everyone’s participation in this year’s Salary Survey.  The completed survey has been sent to those banks that participated in the compilation.   We are very excited with this year’s survey and have added quite a few new features including trend reports requested by this year’s Human Resource Sub-Committee.  If you were unable to participate but would still like to receive a copy, please call or email your request to GBA’s Kenyetta Parks at (404) 420-2035.  Pricing is based on your bank’s participation.

Human Resources Solutions
Employment Law Compliance, Inc. is a Strategic Partner of the Georgia Bankers Association and our primary resource to provide employee handbooks, toolkits, affirmative action plans, and other compliance products specifically designed for community banks.  Keeping up with ever-changing employment regulations and human resources best practices can be time consuming.  Monitoring changes specific to the banking industry adds even more effort to the task.  Employment Law Compliance focuses on the needs of community banks which do not have the luxury of a large HR staff or in-house employment counsel.  Their staff is committed to designing and maintaining solutions and services that can help your bank attract, hire, retain, and manage the best employees.  ELC can assist your bank in addressing the challenges of employment compliance.  Whatever the reason – lack of time or internal resources or the high cost of outside counsel – Employment Law Compliance can take care of your bank’s needs.  For more information, please contact Employment Law Compliance’s Steven Greene at (770) 206-3371 or GBA’s Chad Wilson at (404) 420-2022.

Clark Consulting
With over 2,100 banking clients, Clark Consulting leads the industry in helping banks optimize performance through strategic planning; compensation; benefits and profitability consulting; bank-owned life insurance (BOLI); and benefit administration support services. Endorsed as a Strategic Partner of the GBA, Clark Consulting’s seamless, consultative approach has benefited our member banks and their shareholders for over 10 years. Clark’s banking consultants have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing bank executives, the changing landscape of compensation and benefits, and the complexities involved in developing a competitive BOLI portfolio. For more information, please contact Clark Consulting’s Bill Cunningham at (877) 362-6917 or GBA’s Chad Wilson at (404) 420-2022.

GBA Job Bank
The Georgia Bankers Association offers free job posting resources for our member banks.  These listings can be viewed online or through our bi-weekly publication included in the GBA Bulletin.  Resume postings are also available.  For more information, please contact GBA’s Kenyetta Parks at (404) 420-2035.

Some of the Services Available Through GBA Services, Inc.

GBA Services, Inc. is governed by a board composed primarily of community bank presidents who look for the best products and services available.  They do the due diligence for you and you can rely on their efforts.  For more information or to order any of these products or services, please call (404) 522-1501.

Newsmakers:

Welcome, Courtenay
We are pleased to welcome Courtenay Pope to the GBA staff as our Training and Development Coordinator.  Courtenay comes to GBA from the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel where she assisted clients similar to GBA with their events.  Courtenay is a native of Marietta and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Communications.  She will be responsible for classroom seminars as well as webinars and telephone seminars.  She will also assist with logistics for our schools, conferences and other events.  Please join us in welcoming Courtenay to the GBA family.

Cumming - The Citizens Bank of Forsyth County Our sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues on the recent death of Jimmy S. Fagan, retired Executive Vice President and longtime community banker. Ringgold - Northwest Georgia Bank Steve Grand has joined the bank as Assistant Vice President – Special Assets Manager. Watkinsville - North Georgia Bank Todd Whitaker has joined the bank as Mortgage Banker and Tiffany Sanders as Customer Service Representative.  Jamie Arnold has been promoted to Operations Officer. Woodstock - First Covenant Bank Congratulations to Bill Blanton, CEO, and the officers, directors and staff on the bank’s recent opening.

Grand