The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently released a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory, urging businesses to defend themselves from ransomware threats during the holidays and weekends when most businesses are closed. Ransomware attacks and wire fraud with a high impact are most likely to occur just before holidays and weekends. Bankers should encourage their coworkers …

In This Issue… PPP direct loan forgiveness encouraged by SBA OBA Bankers’ Night Out programs begin in two weeks in Ardmore OBA Washington Visit to resume traditional format in 2022 OBA Emerging Leaders Academy application deadline approaching Today is the last day to order 2022 Oklahoma Views and Vistas Calendar at early-bird rate OBA education corner … PPP direct loan …

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the results of the Services Survey reflect changes in a variety of activity indicators, including sales, revenue, employment, and capital spending, as well as changes in input material and selling prices. Longer-term trends can be traced using the accumulated data. To read this article in its entirety from the Federal Reserve …

Our federal law enforcement partners have been working overtime to try to help banks stay ahead of the challenges encountered with both cyber-criminals and bad actors that impact bank ATMs in multiple ways. Law enforcement partners and our statewide MAFIA groups have shared multiple resources and tools, which we are including in this Fraud Alert. Let’s get started! •         • …

Despite an economic setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market is steadily recovering. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, new single-family home sales increased to a compounded annual growth rate of 708,000 in July. To read more about this story in its entirety from ABA Banking Journal, please click here.

In This Issue… FDIC looks for banker input OBA Bankers’ Night Out sponsorships available OBA education corner … FDIC looks for banker input FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams and newly appointed Chief Innovation Officer Sultan Meghji have asked the banking industry for input related to innovation around four general themes. Inclusiveness — How to increase access to banking services for those …

Client satisfaction with credit card issuers fell this year as issuers attempted to accommodate customers’ demands amid ongoing economic uncertainty, according to the J.D. Power 2021 Credit Card Satisfaction Study. Satisfaction with national issuers has dropped considerably, down from 811 to 805 on a scale of 1,000.  As a result, credit card issuers are searching for the causes of this …

I can’t believe it’s already the end of summer – spending the last weekend hunting for school supplies is one way to wrap up the season. We’ve got lots of things to look forward to in the fall and I’ll touch on this in a minute. While it usually slows down a little bit here at the OBA in the …

The OBA is proud to announce the group of inductees for the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame, with the ceremony set for Dec. 2 in Oklahoma City. Bruce Benbrook, a longtime Woodward banker who is currently CEO and chairman of The Stock Exchange Bank in Woodward; Steve Burrage, a southeastern Oklahoma stalwart who is chairman of FirstBank in Antlers; the …

The OBA sent out last week a short survey about the COVID vaccine and whether our member banks have, or plan to have, a mandate for their employees. We wanted to share the results of the non-scientific survey with our members. Here are the results: (answers | percentage of total answers) Q1: Does your bank have a COVID vaccine mandate …