Hearing Held on Credit File Freezing
A Subcommittee of the Georgia House of Representatives Banks and Banking Committee met last week to discuss the issue of allowing consumers to place a freeze on their credit files held by credit reporting agencies.  While several bills on this topic were introduced in the legislature earlier this year, none were passed.  Further study was needed and Committee Chairman James Mills (R-Gainesville) and Subcommittee Chairman Calvin Hill (R-Canton) have been careful to hear from consumer groups, credit reporting agencies, and businesses that could be impacted by any legislation.  Recognizing that other states have passed similar legislation, no one testified against allowing a freeze to be placed by a consumer on their credit file as long as there is a quick process to thaw such a freeze so that credit can be granted.
Under the most favored version of the legislation, financial institutions and other credit grantors would still have access to a frozen credit report on existing customers.  Also, financial institutions would be able to access such reports when opening checking, savings or investment accounts.  There will be at least one more hearing on the matter prior to the 2008 General Assembly Session.  Please call GBA’s Elizabeth Chandler at (404) 420-2027 with questions.

Ethics and Professionalism Training Available at Bank Counsel Conference
Registrations continue to come in at a steady pace for the Bank Counsel Conference scheduled for October 7-9 at The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens.  Included in this year’s conference program is ethics and professionalism training.  Karen Wildau with Powell Goldstein, Atlanta, will explore the ethical, professional and legal implications of a law firm's actions when its partners have served a bank in multiple capacities in related transactions.  Who does the lawyer represent?  Who does the client think the lawyer represents?  And how to make sure the answers are the same.  GBA has reserved a block of rooms at The Lodge and Spa at a special rate of $205 per night for single or double occupancy.  To reserve your room, please contact the hotel directly at (800) 225-5292.  The GBA room block for the conference will expire on Friday, September 7.  To register for the conference, click here.  With questions, contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.

Networking Opportunities at President/CEO Conference
Details are being finalized for GBA’s President/CEO Conference scheduled for October 7-9 at The Lodge and Spa and Callaway Gardens.  Several social and sporting events have been planned to give you the opportunity to network with your colleagues.  We will kick off the conference on Sunday evening with our traditional reception and dinner.  And, no conference would be complete without the traditional golf tournament slated for Monday afternoon at the Mountain View Course with tee times beginning at 12:30 p.m.  For the non-golfers, a sporting clay tournament will be held on Monday afternoon at the Callaway Gun Club.  Both experienced and novice shooters are welcome to participate.  A fishing tournament is also scheduled for Monday afternoon on Mountain Creek Lake.  With questions about these events or the conference in general, contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.

Group 7, 9, 10 and 5 Meetings Scheduled for Week of September 10
GBA’s annual Group Meetings will be held in 10 locations throughout the month of September.  These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for networking with fellow bankers, hearing from the GBA leadership, and visiting with strategic partners and associate members. During the week of September 10, Group Meetings will be held in Cartersville, Athens, Gainesville, and Atlanta.  The meetings for Group 7, slated for September 12 in Cartersville and Group 9 for September 13 in Gainesville, will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:00 p.m. followed by some brief remarks from your Group Chair, GBA’s Chairman, Jim Williams, President and CEO of Citizens Bank & Trust Company in Eastman, and GBA staff.  The evening will conclude with a buffet dinner at 6:45 p.m.  The Group 10 meeting planned for September 13 in Athens and the Group 5 meeting planned for September 14 in Atlanta will be luncheon meetings.  These two meetings begin with a reception at 11:30 a.m. with lunch being served at noon.  The program will immediately follow lunch with adjournment around 1:30 p.m. The following week, bankers in Group 6 will meet for lunch on Tuesday, September 18, at Idle Hour Country Club in Macon and Group 4 bankers will meet for dinner at Pilgreen’s on Lake Dow in McDonough.  On Wednesday, September 19, Group 3 bankers will meet for lunch at Houston Lake Country Club in Perry and Group 2 bankers will meet for dinner at Doublegate Country Club in Albany.  On Thursday, September 20, Group 8 bankers will lunch at the Okefenokee Country Club in Waycross and Group 1 bankers will meet for dinner at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro.  If you who are unfamiliar with your Group Meeting site, for your convenience, directions are located on the website.  Just click on the Group Meeting icon.  With questions, contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.

Space Still Available at IRA Update and Review on September 12-13
There’s still time to register for GBA’s annual IRA Update and Review seminar slated for Wednesday, September 12 at the Best Western-Lanier Centre in Gainesville and Thursday, September 13 at the Macon Ramada Plaza.  The registration fee is $195 and Patrice Konarik with Sunwest Training Corp. in Gilchrist, Texas is the instructor.  This intermediate level workshop serves as an excellent refresher for the experienced IRA banker as well as a confidence builder on the more technical and complex areas of IRAs for the less experienced IRA representative.  Participants will receive a thorough update and review of the significant final regulations regarding the Pension Protection Act and other IRA legislation.  With questions, contact GBA’s Courtenay Pope at (404) 420-2015 or Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2015.

Georgia Banks Rank Well in Performance
The FDIC reported second quarter 2007 bank earnings recently and the news is a little mixed.  Commercial banks and savings institutions reported net income of $36.7 billion for the quarter –  3 percent below the level of a year ago but still the fourth-best quarterly earnings ever reported. FDIC said higher expenses for bad loans and narrower net interest margins were the main reasons for the year-to-year decline in quarterly earnings.  "Banks continued to face two key challenges -- a difficult interest rate environment and ongoing weakness in residential mortgage lending," said FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair. "However, under the circumstances, the industry's second quarter earnings performance was very solid. What we see is a banking industry that is generally well capitalized, well diversified and profitable, and is in good position as we go through this period of market adjustment."  Among the major findings:

• Provisions for loan losses registered a sizable increase

• Troubled real estate loans continue to accumulate

• Noninterest income had strong growth

• Business loan demand exhibits strength

•  Insured deposit growth slowed

Georgia banks continued to perform well as compared with all banks nationally.  In the following table are some key numbers and ratios from the FDIC report:

Register for GBA Webinars Today
Just a reminder that GBA will offer the webinars listed below during the week of August 27.  Webinars offer you the opportunity and convenience of having a seminar at your bank.  All you need is a computer, Internet access and a telephone.  All webinars are live and allow time throughout for questions and answers.  The registration fee of $250 allows you access to one website “seat,” one telephone site license and all hand out materials.  If you are unable to attend the webinar but would like to have this information for training purposes, you may also purchase an audio CD, handout materials and a password to view the information online.  Complete details about the webinar, topics being covered and information about the presenter(s) can be found on GBA’s Calendar of Events.  With questions, please call GBA’s Courtenay Pope at (404) 420-2015.

• 2007 SAR Filing & Administration – September 5

• Detecting Counterfeit Checks, Q-Chex, Money Order Scams & More – September 5

• RESPA - Escrow Rules – September 6

• Loan Pricing & Profitability Analysis – September 7

Register Today for AIB Online Courses
Just a reminder that the following AIB Online classes begin on September 24  Please register two weeks in advance to secure a seat in the class.  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.)

• ABA Online Review Course for the CTFA Exam (open enrollment), 12 weeks, $795

• Analyzing Bank Performance, 7 weeks, $745

• Consumer Lending, 16 weeks, $385

• General Accounting*, 16 weeks, $485

• Law & Banking:  Applications, 16 weeks, $435

• Marketing Financial Services, 16 weeks, $385

• Principles of Banking, Accelerated, 10 weeks, $315

• Today's Teller: Developing Basic Skills* (open enrollment), 8 weeks, $285

There is still availability in the following AIB Online classes beginning September 17.  Please register as soon as possible to secure a seat in the class.

• Analyzing Financial Statements*, 16 weeks, $485

• Commercial Lending, 16 weeks, $385

• Financial Accounting*, 16 weeks, $485

• Introduction to Mortgage Lending, 16 weeks, $385

• Law & Banking:  Principles, 16 weeks, $435

• Principles of Banking, 16 weeks, $385

• Understanding Your Construction Borrower, 10 weeks, $385

Please see the AIB Online Course Schedule for a complete listing or call GBA’s Alison Moreau at (404) 420-2034 with questions.

Fall 2007 AIB Classroom Course
Here are the AIB classroom courses for Fall 2007.  AIB classes meet three hours each week for two to 15 weeks and are held at a local financial institution.  If you would like to see a specific AIB course offered in your area or if you have questions about AIB classroom courses, please call GBA’s Alison Moreau at (404) 420-2034.

• Principles of Banking, taught by Denny Donegan at First Bank of Dalton, Dalton, beginning September 10, 10 weeks, $195, text $65

• Economics for Bankers, taught by Todd Pence, Gateway Bank and Trust, Ringgold, beginning September 10, 10 weeks, $195, text $79

• Supervision, taught by Denny Donegan at Northside Bank, Adairsville, beginning September 13, 15 weeks, $295, text $75

• Analyzing Financial Statements taught by Peter Faser of Security Bank at CornerstoneBank, Atlanta, beginning September 25, 10 weeks, $195; text $75.

Welcome New Participant
The GBA Insurance Trust, Inc. Board of Directors welcomes to the Trust Touchstone Bancshares, Inc., Norcross, Bill Short, 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.

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.

Bond and D&O Insurance	Human Resources Solutions
Checking Club Programs	Internet Loan Closing Program
CRM	Job Bank
Discounted Check Program	Marketing
Discounted Local & Long Distance Program	Non-Qualified Executive Benefits (BOLI)
Financial Industry Pre-Employment Assessments	Pledging Pool Program
FinCrime	Record Retention Guide
Financial Marketing Solutions (FMS)	Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation
Georgia Financial Directory	Strunk & Associates, L.P.
Georgia Laws Code Book	Thumbprint Signature Program
Holiday Decals	Trust and Investment Services

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:

GBA Staff Recognized At a recent staff recognition event, several staff members were honored on their anniversaries with the Association:  Chad Wilson (2 years); Jennifer Stevens (2 years); Kenyetta Parks (7 years); John Runnion (7 years), Susie McGehee (8 years); Lydia Thomas (9 years); and Joe Brannen (27 years).  "GBA is fortunate to have folks of this caliber who spend countless hours working on behalf of bankers in Georgia.  We appreciate their service and know our members will want to join me in congratulating them," said GBA President Joe Brannen.  Josh is Member Services Strategic Partner Coordinator and Retirement Services Administrator; Jennifer is Professional Development Coordinator; Kenyetta is Member Services Manager; John is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Susie is Training and Development Manager; and Lydia is Communications Manager.  Congratulations were also extended to Member Services Assistant Erin Howard and her family on the recent birth of Jonathan Javon.

L to R: Jennifer, Joe, Kenyetta, Josh, Lydia, Susie and John

Athens - First American Bank Susan Bogardus has joined the bank as First Vice President and Commercial Lender. Canton - Bank of North Georgia Greg Sinclair has been promoted to Commercial Lender. Covington - McIntosh Commercial Bank William Richard Ward has joined the bank as Market President. Gainesville - Gainesville Bank & Trust Gail Tipton has been promoted to Vice President of GB&T Investment Services. Jasper - Crescent Bank & Trust Donna Harris has been promoted to Vice President. Ringgold - Northwest Georgia Bank Sherida Farr, Shay Robins, and Paul M. Smith have joined the bank as Mortgage Originators.

Bogardus Farr

Sinclair Robins

Ward Smith

Tipton

Serving the needs of Georgia Bankers since 1892 Search I Staff I Contact Us Georgia Bankers Association - 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1050, Atlanta, GA 30303 • Phone 404.522.1501 • Fax 404.522.9848