November 6 - CBA Today eNewsletter - Community Bankers Association of Georgia

In a recent post from the Main Street Matters blog, ICBA's Rebecca Romero Rainey highlights how Well Fargo has laid off more than 200 bankers, according to a recent article from Reuters. These cutbacks focused on agricultural lenders concentrated in rural areas such as North and South Dakota. In their place, the bank will create a smaller group of agricultural bankers in one of its centralized banking hubs and focus on more profitable clients, according to the report. Considering Wells Fargo's history of opening phony customer accounts, and the growing trend of megabanks withdrawing from Main Street communities, none of this should come as any surprise. Read the blog post.

CBA President & CEO John McNair commented, “With over $75 billion in economic impact every year, agribusiness is Georgia’s leading industry. The state leads the nation in production of chickens, peanuts, pecans, blueberries and rye. Georgia’s community bankers stand ready in good times and bad to serve Georgia farmers.”

CBA’s Agriculture Committee recently toured Coffee County Cotton Gin and Premium Peanut in SE Georgia. With 9.3 million acres of operating farmland in the state, the vital service provided by GA’s ag lending banks cannot be underestimated.

“With the passage of SB157 during the last General Assembly, it is clear that the Kemp Administration and the entire legislature understand and value Georgia’s unique and robust community banking industry,” Mr. McNair added.

Georgia’s community bankers do great things in their communities every day. Here is the latest on community outreach and news from CBA Members:

South Georgia Bank, Glennville, “Went Pink” for the month of October. Team members dressed down each Friday of October and raised $650 which was donated to the Tattnall County C.A.R.E.S. organization. C.A.R.E.S. gives financial support to those in the local community fighting cancer.
Bank of Hazlehurst recently hosted a class from Jeff Davis County High School to tour the bank and demonstrate daily bank operations.
In addition, the bank participated in the Rotary Club of Hazlehurst’s "Jacket Pride Event" fundraiser to help purchase jackets for needy children.
Planters First Bank, Cordele, was named Best Bank in Town, Best Financial Firm, and Best Mortgage Lender by the Cordele Dispatch 2019 Readers' Choice Awards. In addition, John Fitzgibbons received the award for Best Bank Teller for the second year in a row.
Colony Bank, Tifton, recently named eight local community leaders to a newly created Community Advisory Board. Read the press release.
Greater Community Bank, Rome, was named among the top extraordinary banks in the United States by The Institute for Extraordinary Banking. The bank was recognized with the Institute’s Banky Award for its commitment to strong community banking. Read more.
In addition, bank President and CEO, David Lance, was recently interviewed on Rome Business Radio X to discuss the business community in Rome. Listen here.
TC Federal Bank, Thomasville, recently celebrated its 85th anniversary.
Farmers and Merchants Bank, Eatonton, is featured in Southern Distinction magazine. The editorial on the bank highlights the bank's all-female lending team, including Linda Moore, Medina Crowe, Shona Bales, Autumn Askew and Maria Meraz. Read the article.
Signature Bank of Georgia, Sandy Springs, recently announced the launch of its bank-owned full-service insurance agency, Signature Insurance Services. Read more.

Sympathies
CBA extends our condolences to David Moore, Senior Vice President of Member Relations at ICBA, whose brother Donald Moore, recently passed away. Donald had served 42 years in the banking industry, retiring in September 2017 from Ameris Bank. Read more.

In addition, CBA extends our condolences to the family and friends of Mr. L. Gene Sprayberry, former Executive Vice President of United Community Bank, Blairsville, who recently passed away. Gene started his career as an examiner for the FDIC in 1968, before serving 37 years to the community banking industry. Read more.

CBA PAC/PR Fund Update
We are pleased to announce a recent contribution to the CBA Political Affairs Committee and Public Relations (PAC/PR) Fund.

Special thanks to our recent contributors:

Community Bank of Dublin - Laurens County
Citizens Bank of Swainsboro
Alan Barfoot
Donna Bellamy
Steve Boswell
Jennifer Burrell
Bill Cabaniss
Jeffery Cannon
Edward Claxton III
Guy Cochran
Bobby Cook
Robert Cook
Gay Dailey

Janine Dodds
Milton Gray, Jr.
Randy Green
Matthew Hatchett
Minton Hester
Gary Johnson
Robert Johnson, Jr.
Everett Kennedy III
Brian Kent
Denny Key
Dana Kirby
Robbie Paine
Jerry Pitts
Benjamin Ross

Stephen Rushing
Mike Sale
Sidney Shepherd
Greg Sikes
Bill Simmons
William Simmons, Jr.
Will Tanneberger
Dennis Taylor
Joe Taylor
Andy Thomas
Jason Williams
Matthew Woodroof
Rufus Youmans, Jr.

In order to achieve our goals, we will need the help of your institution, Board members, officers, and employees. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and will go towards the only Georgia State PAC exclusively committed to representing the interests in community banks. Click here for contribution forms. For more information, contact Lori Godfrey.

Beth Tilley, President of Tilley Properties, Inc., has recently joined the Board of Directors for Greater Community Bank, Rome.

William W. "Sonny" Hall has joined First State Bank of Blakely as Chief Operating Officer.

Glenda Fitzpatrick has joined Georgia Primary Bank, Atlanta, as Senior Vice President and Loan Operations Manager.

Amy Thompson has joined Community Bank of Dublin - Laurens County as Branch Manager.

Think CBA First for Your Professional Development Needs!
Be sure to think of CBA first when it comes to your training and Professional Development needs. Here are some upcoming CBA events:

Announcing the 2020 J. Steven Walraven Memorial Scholarship!
CBA is proud to announce the 2020 Walraven Scholarship, named for the late J. Steven Walraven, a former community bank president who dedicated much of his life to his community and community banking. His wife Rebecca and their sons have developed the scholarship in his memory.

This $500 scholarship is awarded to a Georgia community bank employee attending a college or university within the state of Georgia. The goal of the scholarship is to assist those employees interested in furthering their education to enhance their career in community banking.

All completed applications should be submitted to CBA no later than Friday, April 10, 2020. Only complete applications will be eligible. Winners will be announced in late April 2020. Click here for more details and to download the application. Contact Jeremy Thomens for more information.

Save the Date: Join Wipfli/PKM for the November Banking + Fintech Mixer
Featuring Special Guest Speaker, CBA's John McNair
Thursday, November 21, 2019 | Maggiano's Perimeter | 6:30-8:00pm.

Join the Wipfli/PKM team along with other leading members of the banking and financial services community for the next Banking + Fintech Mixer. The evening will feature special guest, John McNair, President and CEO at the Community Bankers Association of Georgia as he shares his insight on the CBA’s recent partnership with The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), and the key objectives for bringing forward new ideas, issues and concerns regarding the technology needs at community banks. For more information or to confirm attendance, please RSVP Shannon Hamilton by Friday, November 15th.

CBA Announces New Custom Print-on-Demand Store for Bank Marketers
CBA has worked with CBA Associate Member Perfect Image to bring you a custom print-on-demand store for bank marketers. The online store is built exclusively for CBA Members and Associate Members with discounted pricing on everyday marketing items.

The online store provides exclusive pre-designed templates for customizable mailers and items for bank customers. Provide a mailing list for the customized mailers, and costs for postage are already included when you check out. More items will be added to the store to best fit your bank’s needs.

To visit the online store, click here. For questions, please contact Charles Kelley at (404) 446-1080, or Shelby Barlowe at (404) 446-1090.

Compliance Program IV: Anti-Money Laundering/Bank Secrecy Act
Dec. 3 - Savannah | Dec. 4 - Tifton | Dec. 5 - Macon | Dec. 11 - Duluth | Dec. 12 - Rome

Topics will include “Beneficial Ownership,” Customer/Member Due Diligence, and the New Regulations (Final Rules issued May 2018); Money Services Businesses (MSB), Third-Party Payment Processors (TPPP), Marijuana Dealers, “De-Risking,” and Other “High-Risk” Clients; Human Smuggling and Trafficking Guidance; Suspicious Activity Reporting – Latest Trends and Rulings; and much more! Learn more and register.

Offering IRAs can be Easy and Profitable
If your organization is looking for ways to increase its deposit base, then offering IRAs could be the perfect solution. According to a recent study by the Investment Company Institute, in 2018 almost one-third (43 million) of U.S. households owned some type of IRA (including Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs). And by the end of March 2019, IRAs held an estimated $9.4 trillion in assets. If your organization isn’t yet offering IRAs, now’s the perfect time to start. Read the full article. Guest article from CBA Associate Member Ascensus.

Here are some of the latest national news stories relevant to community banking and the financial services industry:

NOVEMBER 6, 2019