Almost 200 members turned out in Gainesville Thursday for the first of three GBA Fall Economic Forums. The crowd was treated to an in-depth look from Commissioner Rob Braswell at the Department of Banking and Finance’s areas of focus in the current banking environment.  They also got a crystal-ball view from Dr. Roger Tutterow of how the next several quarters will shape up economically. “The Fall Economic Forum is proving to be a very popular event for bankers,” said Steve Jordan, GBA Chairman and President and CEO of the Bank of Monticello. “Our industry is facing a challenging economic environment and we’re working in very close partnership with our regulators."

We all know that the Governor and General Assembly are working to address a significant state budget shortfall. An Aug. 27 editorial by the Atlanta Journal Constitution offered some suggestions as to which state departments, including the Department of Banking and Finance, should shoulder the heaviest load of the cuts (10%) necessary to address the shortfall. We think the paper’s position on cutting the department’s budget is way off base, and GBA sent a letter to the editor to wholeheartedly disagree. Of particular note is the fact that in fiscal year 2007, the Department collected over a million dollars more from the banks than was appropriated to and spent by the Department in supervising all regulated financial institutions: banks, credit unions, mortgage companies and others.

If there’s any good news to come out of the FDIC taking action against a Georgia institution, it's that the FDIC, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance and Regions did solid jobs ensuring a well coordinated announcement and transition for Integrity consumers and providing a calming influence to the public. The quality of the preparations and process showed in the basic factual tone present in most media coverage of the announcement and lack of lingering public consumer concern to date. The fact that Regions agreed to assume all of Integrity’s deposits went a long way toward helping the situation. The FDIC and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance provided thorough, detailed information about the action and its effect on Integrity depositors. It is clear that the FDIC, in the interest of doing its primary job to protect depositors ahead of other interests, has a well-thought-out, proven process in place to minimize as best as possible widespread disruption of the banking marketplace. 

The American Bankers Association published its annual consumer survey about bank fees last week. The news from this year’s results: Most people don’t pay any monthly fees at all and 65 percent pay $3 or less in monthly bank fees. The yearly

survey of 1,000 banking consumers was conducted Aug. 1-3. Its finding are consistent with results dating back to 1998, which indicates that with the cost of other consumer goods and services going up, banking services remain a relative bargain.

Chart Source: ABA

Since the last Bulletin, the officers, directors and staff of the following companies have contributed to the GBA FedPAC:

• Georgia Bank & Trust Company, Augusta. Dan Blanton, CEO

• Verity Bank, I.O. , Dahlonega, Steve Smith, CEO

• Southwest Georgia Bank, Moultrie, DeWitt Drew, CEO

• Stephens Federal Bank, Toccoa, Joe Ferguson, CEO

This year’s Marketing Conference is scheduled for Oct. 23-24 at Brasstown Valley Resort. GBA’s Marketing Committee has planned an exciting agenda. Topics include the changing bank environment, ROI and measurement, communicating in challenging times, customer education about FDIC Deposit Insurance, budgeting, branding and roundtable discussions. A block of rooms has been reserved for Georgia bankers until Sept. 22. 

Final details are being made for GBA’s first Compliance Conference scheduled for Sept. 25-26 at Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. Did you ever wonder if all of the hours you put into Bank Secrecy Act compliance is worth it? Jantzen Blakmon and Kenneth Gusler with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Atlanta use the information you submit on SARs and CTRs every day.

Final details are being made for GBA’s annual Branch Managers Institute Oct. 22-24 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Macon. Taye Cairnes, President of Taye Cairnes, Inc., in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the instructor. Designed for branch managers, assistant branch managers, supervisors or anyone who has branch administration responsibilities, this interactive program will teach participants to set goals and create action plans to ensure success.

There’s still time to register GBA’s Health Savings Account (HSA) seminar scheduled for Sept. 24 at Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. Designed for CEOs and others responsible for driving core deposits and evaluating new products and services, this workshop is designed to help you understand how offering HSAs

GBA will host its Introduction to Consumer Lending seminar Thursday, Oct. 9, at Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. The registration fee is $225 and Peter Faser, Senior Vice President with Security Bank, Atlanta, is the instructor. Designed for customer service representatives, loan processors, newly hired lenders and any individuals who want to gain the basic foundation of the consumer lending process, this one-day seminar is an introduction and a practical approach to consumer lending.  Participants will learn to:

• Identify the varied functions of a consumer lender

• Describe the components of a sound consumer loan portfolio

• Conduct an effective interview

• Conduct a credit investigation

• Determine the relevant characteristics of borrowers

• Determine customer's financial ability to repay.

With questions, please contact GBA’s Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

Just a reminder that GBA will offer the following webinars the week of Sept. 15:

• Bank Secrecy Act for Frontline Personnel – Sept. 16

• Credit Reports, Credit Scores, & Compliance – Sept. 17

• Compliance Issues for Consumer Lending – Sept. 17

• Motivating & Managing the Teller Line – Sept. 18

• Banking 101: Banking Fundamentals, Part 1 – Sept. 19

GBA’s Southern Operations and Technology School will be Nov. 2-7 at the University of Georgia. The school is the premier provider of operations and technology training in the southeast and one of only a few in the country. First-year students who 

The following AIB online classes begin the week of Sept. 29. Please register two weeks in advance to secure a seat in the class. These courses are instructor-facilitated with weekly assignments, and 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

• Banking Today, 5 weeks, $315

• Economics for Bankers, 16 weeks, $405

• Financial and Business Planning for Bank Marketers, 9 weeks, $315

• Money and Banking, 16 weeks, $405

• Principles of Banking, 16 weeks, $405

• Supervisor Certificate, 16 weeks, $695

• Today's Teller: Developing Basic Skills* (open enrollment), 8 weeks, $315

• Analyzing Bank Performance, 7 weeks, $745

• Consumer Lending, 16 weeks, $405

• General Accounting*, 16 weeks, $485

• Law & Banking: Applications, 16 weeks, $455

• Marketing Financial Services, 16 weeks, $405

• Principles of Banking, Accelerated, 10 weeks, $335

There also are seats available in the AIB IRA Online Institute,12 weeks, $1,495, scheduled for Sept 8, 2008. Please see the AIB Online Course Schedule for a complete listing or call GBA’s Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034 with questions.

AIB classes typically meet three hours each week for 10 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.

Here is the upcoming AIB classroom course for Fall 2008:

• Principles of Banking taught by Michelle Collings of Georgian Bank, Atlanta, beginning Sept. 11, 10 weeks, $195, text $65

Financial Marketing Solutions (FMS) is a Strategic Partner of the GBA, offering banks niche branding and marketing, solely serving the financial services industry.  With a primary goal of encouraging clients to tap into the power of “brand” in a fresh new way, FMS empowers banks across the country to take their marketing to the next level – maximizing marketing dollars and delivering measurable results to the bank’s bottom line. Through a strategic discovery process, FMS partners with your bank to

Established in 1976 by Chairman William H. Strunk, Strunk and Associates, L.P. is a financial institution advisory service recognized nationally for its innovative design, development, and implementation of sustainable profit improvement solutions, most notably the Strunk “Overdraft Privilege Program,” for the financial services industry.  The firm’s reputation is built on more than 30 years of providing expert and objective advisory services to thousands of financial institutions and has received the

Improve Your Bottom Line With GBA Services, Inc. Offerings

Please remember to include the Georgia Bankers Association on the list of recipients for announcements about promotions, new employees and special recognition your bank has received. 

Georgian Bank is featured in BusinessWeek magazine’s online Small Business content for its use of remote deposit capture technology to improve its customer relationships and competitive position in the marketplace.  

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