Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- Ad campaign started to oppose credit card bill
- House Financial Services Subcommittee chairman to retire
- Holiday closing signs available from OBA
- Join us for Elaine Dodd’s retirement party!
- OBA education corner …
From Adrian’s desk …
By Adrian Beverage
OBA President & CEO
Just some random tidbits that might be of interest to our bankers this week!
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I hope everyone had a safe trip to their respective offices this morning. While the interstates seemed to be rather clear, several OBA employees mentioned the side streets, particular in Oklahoma City proper, were slippery and there were several wrecks. Be careful out there!
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I read an interesting story, via Reuters news service, about how regional banks – particularly those with $100 billion or less in assets – may have a harder time growing profits because of the need to pay depositors. While every bank chartered in Oklahoma falls below that asset mark, it’s something to keep an eye on going forward.
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Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman spoke at a South Carolina Bankers Association event on Monday, and called for a renewed commitment to the Fed’s congressionally mandated obligation to tailor regulation to institution size, saying that such a focus “helps us avoid the impulse to simply crank regulatory dials to their highest level for all firms.”
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College football season ended last night as Michigan completed an undefeated season by downing Washington in the championship game. While my Cornhuskers were not anywhere near the playoffs this season, it was nice to see the news come out on Monday that former head coach Frank Solich was picked for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Ad campaign started to oppose credit card bill
The Electronic Payments Coalition has launched a new ad campaign to highlight the opposition of a wide range of community institutions against a proposed credit card routing bill.
If enacted, the Credit Card Competition Act that was introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) would cause many community banks and credit unions would retreat from card issuance, the coalition said.
The new campaign will educate lawmakers about the negative effects that the proposed credit card routing mandates would have on smaller financial institutions. It will also call out the failure of the legislation’s so-called “carve-out” for community banks and credit unions.
House Financial Services Subcommittee chairman to retire
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) announced last week he will retire from Congress at the end of 2024.
Luetkemeyer currently is chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions. He has served in Congress since 2009 and previously spent 30 years in the financial services industry working as a state banking examiner and community banker.
Holiday closing signs available from OBA
Customers need to know that Oklahoma banks are closed in observance of several holidays each year.
The OBA makes this easy by offering member banks a set of eleven decorative 6”x 9” decals. Static-cling decal signs clearly notify customers of your holiday closings. Each decal has a holiday design with the bank closing dates as observed by the Federal Reserve. Additional blank decals are provided to write on for emergency closings. Juneteenth holiday sign included. English edition or English/Spanish edition available!
Join us for Elaine Dodd’s retirement party!
The OBA will host a retirement party in honor of Elaine Dodd’s 20 years of service with the Association.
The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19. at the Harris Event Center at the OBA offices in Oklahoma City.
Please RSVP by Jan. 16 to Nancy McKinnis if you plan to attend. We hope to see you there!
OBA education corner …
Football season is over … well, at least on the college side. We still have the NFL playoffs, which begin this weekend. Whether the professionals are your cup or tea or not, it remains as the only pigskin-adjacent sport until August! As the long wait begins to dawn on you, don’t forget to take all the free time you now have to check out our upcoming continuing education opportunities!
- 2024 Compliance Updates, Jan. 17-Tulsa, Feb. 1-Oklahoma City — These Updates are separated into operations and lending for each day: they can be registered for together or individually.
- Compliance Management, Jan. 18, webinar — You will learn how best to utilize your resources to create an effective CMS or enhance your current CMS.
- Creating the Right Enterprise Risk Management Program for YOUR Community Bank, Jan. 18, webinar — Are you creating your first ERM Program for your bank? Do you want to ensure your current program is complete, yet keep it simple? If you said yes to either question, this webinar is for you!
- Escrows, Jan. 19, webinar — In this webinar, we’ll discuss the mechanics of establishing and maintaining escrow accounts, as well as in what situations escrows must be maintained.
- IRA Annual Update 2024 – Keeping Up With The Latest Changes, Jan. 23, webinar — In the last three years, we have had the most substantial changes to IRAs since 2002. The difference today is that there are still many outstanding issues that need to be resolved. This webinar is a thorough review of what’s changed and what’s in limbo.
- The Uniform Commercial Code for Lenders, Jan. 24, webinar — Gain a thorough understanding of UCC-secured lending transactions and how they work in this comprehensive overview, which includes perfecting security interests, documentation, filing, analysis of lien positions, common mistakes and more.
- Error Resolution Under Reg. E: Implementing Policies and Practices to Avoid Mistakes, Jan. 25, webinar — In this session, we will address what actually constitutes an error under the regulation, what you need to do to comply with investigation requirements and how to avoid mistakes during the error-resolution process.
- Advanced TRID Compliance, Jan. 30, webinar — Take your TRID compliance to the next level! This webinar will take a look at the TRID rule from an advanced perspective.
- Call Report Seminar, Feb. 13, Oklahoma City — This one-day seminar focuses on equipping community banks with the fundamental knowledge necessary for completing an accurate and efficient Call Report.
- 2024 OBA Commercial Lending School, March 3-8, Oklahoma City — This school is an intensive, one-week functional school designed for bankers with a basic understanding of credit and financial analysis. The school will demonstrate how to apply this knowledge in profitable commercial lending situations.
Also, take note of the Women in Banking Forum, which is scheduled for March 26 in Oklahoma City. This event is designed to bring together mid- to senior level women leaders in the financial services industry and will include banking, economic, leadership and professional development content to enhance your career and network.
Finally, the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a scholarship available for its GSB Human Resource Management School,, which takes place in April. The scholarship deadline is Feb. 9.