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Week of Jan. 6

January 7, 2020

In This Issue…

Updates, banking issues regarding Iranian threats

While there is no current information indicating a specific, credible threat to the United States, Iranian leadership and affiliated extremist organizations have publicly stated they intend to retaliate. Those threats have been made because of the successful U.S.-led airstrike in Iraq that killed Qaseem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

As the DHS bulletin indicates, previous plots have included cyberattacks. Your OBA reminds bankers of their important role in fighting terrorism, and to be especially vigilant as always on this front.

CISA has great detailed information in its tips section regarding protecting against ransomware, malicious code, destructive malware, DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks and many other helpful topics at https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips.

A. Be Prepared

  1. Be prepared for cyber disruptions, suspicious emails, and network delays.
  2. Be responsible for your personal safety.
    • Know where emergency exits and security personnel are located.
    • Carry emergency contact and special needs information with you.
  3. Implement basic cyber hygiene practices, such as effecting data backups and employing multi-factor authentication.
  4. Report suspicious activity to local law enforcement who are best to offer specific details on terroristic indicators.
  5. Report suspicious activity or information about a threat, including online activity, to Elaine Dodd at the OBA, to fusion centers and the FBI’s Field Offices – part of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative.
  6. To report suspicious activities, contact your local law enforcement agencies. Describe specifically what you observed, including:
    • Who or what you saw.
    • When you saw it.
    • Where it occurred.
    • Why it’s suspicious.
    • If there is an emergency, call 911.

B. Background Material for your Review

  • In 1984, the United States designated Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism.”
  • Since then, Iran has actively engaged in or directed an array of violent and deadly acts against the United States and its citizens globally.
  • The United States designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization on April 15, 2019, for its direct involvement in terrorist plotting.
  • On Jan. 2, 2020, the United States carried out a lethal strike in Iraq killing Iranian IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, while Soleimani was in Iraq.
  • Iranian leadership and several affiliated violent extremist organizations publicly stated they intend to retaliate against the United States.
  • At this time, we have no information indicating a specific, credible threat to the Homeland.
  • Iran and its partners, such as Hizballah, have demonstrated the intent and capability to conduct operations in the United States.
  • Previous homeland-based plots have included, among other things, scouting and planning against infrastructure targets and cyber-enabled attacks against a range of U.S.- based targets.
  • Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber-attacks against the United States.
  • Iran is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects against critical infrastructure in the United States.
  • Iran likely views terrorist activities as an option to deter or retaliate against its perceived adversaries.
  • In many instances, Iran has targeted U.S. interests through its partners such as Hizballa.
  • Homegrown violent extremists could capitalize on the heightened tensions to launch individual attacks.
  • An attack in the homeland may come with little or no warning.
  • The Department of Homeland Security is working closely with our federal, state, local and private sector partners to detect and defend against threats to the Homeland, and will enhance security measures as necessary.

More information is available at www.dhs.gov/advisories.

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Register for OBA’s 2020 Contact Banker Program

We have set the dates for the 2020 Contact Banker Program. Click here to find a sign-up form with the dates listed for this year’s program. We ask you select what dates work best for you and return your form to adrian@oba.com. Once we have the groups finalized, we will send an email confirmation of your date.

On the date you select, there will be a short briefing before we start walking the halls of the Capitol. Please know, we will stay together as a group the entire morning. We will do our best to have you spend a few minutes with both your state senator and state representative to either start a new relationship or strengthen one already in place. We won’t ask you discuss the merits of current legislation – we want you to just chat with your members about issues that may affect your community or other pressing matters. Depending on what week you select, we will either sit in on a committee meeting or in the gallery to watch the action on the floor. Once we have finished all of our business at the Capitol, the OBA will take everyone to lunch to discuss the events of the morning.

This is our 20th year to have the program, and all legislators know there will be bankers at the Capitol on Tuesdays (and some Wednesdays), and we always have legislators asking when their bankers are going to visit. Everyone at the Capitol knows bankers are involved in the political process and they are watching how they vote. All of this success is because of the Contact Banker Program.

This program is meant for all employees at the bank. There is no cost to attend other than your time.  Please complete this registration form and send it to adrian@oba.com.

Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Adrian Beverage (adrian@oba.com / 405-424-5252).

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New employee benefits survey readied

Blanchard Consulting Group and the OBA would like to invite you to participate in our 2020 Compensation Trends and Employee Benefits Survey.

The survey covers recent trends in various compensation programs such as: annual incentive plan design and payouts, equity/long-term incentive programs, executive benefits, including employment/change-in-control agreements, deferred compensation plans/supplemental executive retirement plans, perquisites and employee benefits surrounding 401K plans, tuition reimbursements, medical coverage and more.

This survey will provide valuable market data on a wide variety of compensation related topics.

Below is the pricing for the 2020 Compensation Trends and Employee Benefits Survey results (results will be provided via email in PDF format):

  • OBA Member Participants: $150
  • OBA Member Non-participants: $300

To complete the survey, please click here. The deadline to submit is Friday, Feb. 28.

If you would like to pre-order your copy of the survey, or if you have any survey questions, please contact Laura Roth at surveys@blanchardc.com or 612-886-1225.

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Registration open for 2020 Senior Management Forum

The Oklahoma Bankers Association 2020 Senior Management Forum is scheduled for April 5-7 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

One of the key benefits in the conference will be talking with your peers. Attendees at the OBA 2019 Community Bankers Leadership & Senior Management Conference will be surrounded by those with similar titles, similar workloads, similar problems and likely solutions to issues that can be just as similar.

If you have any questions or want to get signed up, contact the OBA’s education department at 405-424-5252, or download a brochure and registration form by clicking here!

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OBA education corner …

Did you survive the holidays? Have you trained yourself to quit writing “2019” as the date? Whatever your answer may be to those questions, you should give a resounding “yes!” to attending education events from the OBA this year. Here’s a good list with which to start:

  • Key Ratios Seminar, Jan. 16, Oklahoma City — Attend this proactive seminar and learn a “five-step” analysis plan to calculate the key ratios covering liquidity, activity, leverage, operating performance and cash flow analysis and correctly interpret the financial condition of the business client.
  • Opening Business Accounts, Jan. 16, webinar — There are many types of business accounts with many different ways to do business at banking today. It can be challenging to determine who is authorized to open, close and transact business when dealing with so many business entities.
  • How to Avoid Safe Deposit Litigation, Jan. 17, webinar — Regardless of the size of your safe deposit operation, this presentation provides a realistic and well-organized method of reviewing your procedures before a lawsuit occurs.
  • CRA Nuts & Bolts – Five Steps to Pass the Exam, Jan. 21, webinar — This webinar will focus on several simple steps to ensure a successful CRA exam outcome.
  • Women In Banking Luncheon, Jan. 23, Oklahoma City — Guest speaker Danielle Ezell will discuss “effective negotiating” during the lunch. Learn the skills empowered communicators use to achieve mutual benefits at the negotiation table. This session delivers repeatable strategies for preparing and negotiating common issues such as asking for a raise, setting fees and promoting teamwork.
  • Dealing With Subpoenas, Summonses, Garnishments, Tax Levies, Etc., Jan. 28, webinar — This webinar will provide attendees with the best practices and red flags for dealing with the various legal documents served upon financial institutions.
  • Creating the Right ERM Program for YOUR Community Bank, Jan. 28, 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 yes to either question, this webinar is for you!
  • 2020 Compliance Updates, Jan. 29-Operations, Tulsa; Jan. 29-Lending, Tulsa; Jan. 30-Operations, Oklahoma City; Jan. 30-Lending, Oklahoma City — The 2019 Compliance Updates will provide a review of issues and concerns facing every bank’s compliance team. The sessions will focus on “hot” topics, trends and areas that may need more emphasis. Common compliance mistakes also will be covered.
  • 2020 OBA Intermediate Banking School, Feb. 3-7/June 1-5, Oklahoma City — Presented in two sessions, the school is designed to instill an appreciation for and an understanding of the operations and interrelationships of departments within a bank.

One education program, in particular, to be aware of is the OBA Intern Program. The Intern Program will again be active in 2019 and we’re looking for participating banks! For more information on this IMPORTANT program – important not only to aspiring students, but also to participating banks – Contact the OBA education department at (405) 424-5252 or click here for more information!

Also, several scholarships are now available to bankers from OBA-member banks for various graduate schools of banking. Applications should be submitted to the OBA’s Janis Reeser by email (janis@oba.com), regular mail (643 N.E. 41st St., OKC, 73105) or fax (405-424-4518). The scholarship recipients will be selected and announced no later than April 22.

Click on the links below for more specific information about each scholarship:

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