The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland determined in a new study brief this week that Paycheck Protection Program loans served to reduce the effects of the pandemic-related recession on state-level employment growth and had “substantial” advantages overall. Researchers discovered that providing one additional week of payroll support through PPP loans during the first round of PPP lending “would have minimized …

In This Issue… Banks stay strong as banking system conditions improved in 2021 2021 Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame induction ceremony set for Thursday OBA education corner … Banks stay strong as banking system conditions improved in 2021 The banking system’s financial situation remained improved in the first half of 2021, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest supervision and regulation …

In This Issue… State banking board approves reduction in 2022 assessments OBA offices closed Thursday, Friday this week OBA education corner … State banking board approves reduction in 2022 assessments The Oklahoma State Banking Board voted  at its November meeting unanimously to reduce the assessments paid by Oklahoma state-chartered banks. The 2022 assessment rate was discounted 40% for each bank …

The first week of this month, we wrapped up our fall Bankers’ Night Out events. We traveled to six different locations across the state and were able to visit with more than 700 bankers. Thanks goes to Miles Pringle with The Bankers Bank, who joined us to talk about everything bitcoin and digital currency. Along with Miles, we covered a …

The Biden Administration and House leaders released the framework and legislative text of the Build Back Better plan in late October, and the package does not contain any language on the tax information reporting proposal opposed by the ABA, OBA and other state bankers associations. Please note, however, the release of the framework and text is only a part of …

According to the Fall 2021 Agricultural Lender Survey report produced jointly by the American Bankers Association and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, better known as Farmer Mac, agricultural lenders expect 80% of their borrowers to be profitable in 2021, with 70% profitable through 2022. The majority of ag lenders (69.7%) said overall farm profitability grew in the previous year for …

As the year barrels toward its end, we listened to our bankers and heard the need for a tool for robbery training. All banks have their own policies, as they should, and those are usually always clearly communicated to staff. To enhance your training, we have recorded a half-hour Zoom training that includes the basics and best practices on which …

In This Issue… Federal court issues nationwide stay of vaccine mandate 2021 Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame ceremony set for Dec. 2 OBA to offer various surveys for bank use in 2022 OBA education corner … Federal court issues nationwide stay of vaccine mandate The ABA Banking Journal has reported a federal appellate court on Friday imposed a nationwide stay …

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index climbed 0.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis in October. The all-items index has risen by 6.2% in the last year. In October, the food index grew by 0.9%, the same as in September. After climbing 1.2% in September, the index for food at home gained 1.0% in October. The increase …