FRM Conference Highlights Value of GBAU's Top Experts and Exclusive Insight

The regular conferences, seminars and events offered through GBA University give you access to timely, pertinent information that you’d be hard pressed to get anywhere else. For example, the more than 80 attendees at this week’s Financial Risk Management Conference were treated to economic, investor and regulatory analysis on the current environment from some of the best and brightest. SunTrust Chief Economist Gregory Miller, an advisor to the Federal Reserve, shared a couple of key indicators he sees as positive signs that we’re making slow but actual progress toward recovery. For example, the current cycles for businesses needing to rebuild inventories and spend for equipment maintenance indicate that business capital spending is poised for growth. Chris Marinac of FIG Partners, a leading bank analyst, shared his views on the long term outlook for community banking. Asset quality and liquidity levels remain a concern, he said, but there are good opportunities for growth around the corner for “good old fashioned community banking.” Attendees also heard a national economic outlook from Christopher Lowe, chief

• Housekeeping.  The Department of Banking and Finance annual housekeeping bill was reported out of committee this week.  The deals with certain capital provisions, fines and penalties for failing to respond to Department requests for information, and the extension of regulatory orders to holding companies.
• Foreclosure.  Sen. Bill Hamrick introduced a draft bill dealing with a number of foreclosure related issues. Of most concern to us are the new rights granted tenants in foreclosed property and we will be sharing our concerns with Sen. Hamrick.
• Ad Valorem Taxes.  Sen. Chip Pearson has introduced legislation requiring tax assessors to consider the value of bank-owned sale of foreclosed properties to determine fair market values of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
• Evidence Code. A subcommittee chaired by Sen. David Ralston has been meeting to consider a rewrite to the state's Evidence Code. Of particular interest to bankers is the way imaged documents will be treated.

• Georgia Fair Lending Act.  The perennial issue that won't seem to go away, Sen. Steve Thompson has reintroduced the original Roy Barnes version of the Georgia Fair Lending Act from 2002. Those of you who followed this at the time will remember it shut down the mortgage market in Georgia. It was eventually preempted as it applied to banks, thrifts and credit unions.
• Credit Reports.  Rep. Bob Smith has introduced a bill requiring the credit reporting agencies to send a consumer a copy of anything the agencies send to an inquiring creditor.

As the session progresses, we will keep you informed and trust you will call GBA's Elizabeth Chandler, 404.420.2027, or Joe Brannen, 404-420-2026, with questions or comments on any issues.

Cram-Downs Get Thumbs up from U.S. House Judiciary Committee

We need your help on a bill (H.R. 200) that’s moving through the U.S. House right now that would grant bankruptcy judges the power to reduce remaining balance on mortgages and modify or change the interest rate or loan terms. This is the long-opposed “cram-down” approach. GBA, as well as most other banking groups, continues to oppose judiciary cram-downs because they would likely clog bankruptcy courts, slow down an efficient process for resolving problem assets and increase the cost of and

The U.S. House will begin consideration next week on a new housing bill (H.R. 703) introduced by House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.). Of note in the bill are provisions to make permanent the temporary increase in federal deposit insurance to $250,000, increase the FDIC’s borrowing authority from $30 billion to $100 billion as well as additional clarity to protect servicers from investor suits when conducting 

If your bank is among the many setting interest rate “floors” as part of your loan agreements, pay close attention to making sure your documentation and contractual language are in order.

Banks, consumers and the media were on alert this week for potential credit-card fraud after a large third-party processor disclosed a significant data breach. Heartland Payment Systems, a company that processes credit and debit cards nationwide, mostly for restaurants and small businesses, announced the breach Jan. 20. It is still unclear how many Heartland customers or total consumers who may have been affected, but Heartland Chairman and CEO Robert Carr said the information accessed, “did not contain merchant data or cardholder Social Security numbers, unencrypted personal identification numbers, addresses or telephone numbers, therefore making it highly unlikely it can be used for identity theft.” We recommend sharing the following information if you have customers that are affected:

• Let them know specific steps you’re taking to protect their accounts.

• Let them know to contact you immediately if there are suspicious transactions on their account.

• Explain your or your card issuer’s customer liability protections – customers are generally not liable for fraudulent transactions.

• Ask them to monitor their accounts frequently and to take advantage of online banking and other technology to check transactions often.

• Note that data breaches do not always lead to fraud, and they rarely lead to identity theft.

See below for information about our Information Security Management Seminar Feb. 18 for more ongoing education to help protect your bank and its customers.

The Georgia Banking School provides a well-balanced curriculum utilizing UGA faculty members, experienced bankers and other qualified industry experts. Since 1961, the GBA-sponsored Georgia Banking School has been a highly-effective resource for developing new leadership talents of Georgia bankers. For more information, please call GBA’s Marybeth Jones at 404.420.2032.

Bank compensation programs are under increased public and shareholder scrutiny. Find out the latest trends at the HR Professionals Institute slated for March 11-13 at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott. Bill Cunningham, Clark Consulting, and Michael Blanchard, AMALFI Consulting, LLC, will identify the elements of an effective compensation program for officers, producers, and staff-level employees . They will explain the need for defining an overall compensation philosophy for your bank—one that is consistent with the bank’s culture, human resource policies and supports the bank’s strategic vision. As part of the session, they will focus on total compensation (base salary, annual

Just a reminder that GBA will offer the following webinars the week of Feb. 2: 

• Effective Compliance with Proposed Appraisal Guidelines– Feb. 2

• Basic Cash Flow Analysis– Feb. 3

• Loan Documentation 101, Part 3: Reviewing Collateral Files– Feb. 3

• Avoiding Losses on U.S. Treasury Checks– Feb. 4

• Frontline Deposit Compliance, Pt. 2: Frequently Asked Questions & Common Errors– Feb. 6

All webinars are live and allow time for questions and answers. The $250 registration fee gives you access to one web site “seat,” one telephone site license and all handout materials. If you can’t attend the webinar, you may buy the audio CD, handout materials and a password to see the information online. With questions, please call GBA’s Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

The following instructor-led AIB online classes begin the week of Feb. 23. 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

• Commercial Lending, 16 weeks, $405

• General Accounting, 16 weeks*, $515

• Principles of Banking, 16 weeks, $405

• Problem Loan Workouts, 6 weeks, $315

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

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

• Fundamentals of Consumer Lending, 5 weeks, $250

• Marketing Financial Services, 16 weeks, $405

• Money & Banking, 16 weeks, $405

• Principles of Banking Accelerated, 10 weeks, $335

• Supervisor Certificate, 16 weeks, $695

Please see the AIB Online Course Schedule for a complete listing or call GBA’s Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034 with questions. 

There’s still space available at GBA’s Bankruptcy, Garnishments, Liens and Levies seminar scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. The registration fee is $225 per person and the instructor is Gary Moser with Moser, Rose & Cox, Valdosta. Designed for collection officers, compliance officers and operation officers, this

Take advantage of learning everything from A to Z about IRAs by attending GBA’s annual IRA Basics seminar. This one-day seminar is slated for two dates and locations; Feb. 11 at the Holiday Inn Lanier Centre in Gainesville and Feb. 12 at Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. Designed for new account representatives, certificate of deposit personnel and any officer/manager who oversees the IRA department, the seminar will be led by Patrice Konarik with Sunwest Training Corp. in

If you are an Information Security Officer and want to make sure you have the best tools for your job, plan on attending GBA’s Effective Information Security Management seminar  Feb. 18 at the Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. The registration fee for this workshop is $225 and the instructors are Kimberly Tallant with Gladiator Technology Group, Alpharetta, and Jamie Davis with Safe Systems, Inc., Alpharetta. This one day seminar will focus on the responsibilities of the ISO with a special emphasis on assessing risk and managing technical security controls. This seminar also qualifies as curriculum credit required for the Bank Security Academy. Some of the topics to be covered include:

• The best candidate for the role of ISO

• The required components of a comprehensive Information Security Program

• The case for a strong risk assessment methodology

• How to manage, monitor and test technical security controls

• Meeting examiner expectations

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

GBA will host its Collections and Recovery seminar on Wednesday, March 4, at the Idle Hour Country Club in Macon.  Let by Gary Moser with Moser, Rose & Cox in Valdosta is the instructor, this one-day seminar is designed for personnel responsible for recovering money or collateral on behalf of the bank.

You will not want to miss this year’s Doing Well by Doing Good Bankers Conference which will be held in Washington, D.C., at the Willard InterContinental Hotel Oct. 8-9. This annual conference attracts representatives from banks that want to know more about how the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation transforms the lives of nursing home residents across the country. The purpose of this conference is to provide an opportunity to share industry experiences during this difficult time, learn to leverage your sponsorship into productive business opportunities and celebrate the positive impact the Foundation is having in the lives of our nation’s elderly population through the Senior Crimestoppers program.

Make Money, Save Money 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. 

Augusta - Georgia Bank & Trust
R. Scott Benjamin, CFP^®, CIMA^®, Vice President of GB&T Financial Services, recently obtained the Certified Investment Management Analyst^SM designation from the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA).

Cornelia - Habersham Bancorp
Bonnie Bowling has joined the holding company's Board of Directors. Bonnie currently serves as Executive Vice President of Habersham Bancorp and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Habersham Bank.

Moultrie - Southwest Georgia Bank
Donna Lott has been promoted to Vice President.

Rome - Citizens First Bank
Congratulation to CEO Angie Lewis for being named to the 2009 Board of Trustees for Leadership Georgia.

Smyrna - Community Bank of the South
R. Randall Bentley Sr. has been named to the bank's Board of Directors.

Home   I   GBA University   I   Member Services   I   Volunteers   I   Government Relations  I  Calendar of Events

Georgia Bankers Association • 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1050, Atlanta, GA 30303 • Phone 404.522.1501 • Fax 404.522.9848 • www.gabankers.com