Feb 16 - CBA Today eNewsletter - COMMUNITY BANKERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA

CBA is pleased to introduce a new blog, “Innovation Circuit,” a repository of innovation news, resources, and happenings for Georgia’s community banks.

“For quite some time, CBA’s Innovation Committee has partnered with the four major fintech organizations in Georgia,” stated John McNair, President & CEO of Community Bankers Association of Georgia. “The Innovation Circuit includes upcoming events from these organizations, news, podcasts, guest articles and more—all in one place.”

The new blog has RSS feeds from ATDC, Fintech Atlanta, Georgia Fintech Academy and TAG. The Innovation Committee, chaired by Chris Stanley, Atlantic Capital Bank, is extremely involved with the four organizations.

“CBA is proud to assist Georgia’s community banks in navigating solutions to increase efficiencies and enhance their customers’ experience,” explained Mr. McNair. “From banks who are advanced in their innovation/technology offerings, to those who are exploring where to begin, we are pleased to offer a variety of resources for our members.”

The Innovation Circuit and a weekly innovation e-blast are sponsored by Atlas Platform by Streetshares, and space is limited to three sponsors. Contact Lindsay Greene for more information.

Thank you for supporting the community banking industry in 2021 through our first t-shirt fundraiser. Monies raised are used to support advocacy efforts at our state capitol. CBA’s LEAD Committee has designed a new t-shirt for 2022. Don’t miss the chance to order this one-of-a-kind t-shirt! Join your fellow bankers by wearing these to increase awareness of our industry brand. Read more about this year’s design, see bank photos from 2021, and learn about CBA’s PAC/PR Fund and how you can order your shirt! Don’t miss out!

CBA PAC Fund: Thank You!
At CBA, we must constantly build and renew relationships with
legislators that understand and support community banking.

Thank you to the following banks for their generous
contributions to CBA’s PAC Fund:

Georgia Primary Bank, Atlanta - Mr. David Coxon
Capital City Home Loans, Lawrenceville - Mr. Greg Shumate

CBA's Scholarship Applications Available!

Hester Scholarship

McNair Scholarship

Walraven Scholarship

Celebrate Employee Milestone Anniversaries—Lifetime Service Awards
Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) is proud to honor bankers who have reached a significant milestone in the banking industry with the Lifetime Service Awards. CBA will honor those who are planning to retire in this calendar year with 30 or more years of service in the community banking industry. The presentation will be made during a special event at the employee’s bank or at CBA’s Annual Meeting & Trade Show.

Each recipient will be honored by CBA through the following:

An engraved plaque
A press release and photo shared with their bank for their local media
A feature on CBA's website and in the CBA Today eNewsletter
Honorees with 50+ years in the banking industry will receive a customized gold and diamond lapel pin

If you know a community banker who will reach the milestone of 30, 40 or 50 years of banking experience this year and has a proven record in excellent community involvement, please nominate the banker by using the online form on CBA’s website.

Nominations should be submitted by the bank’s President and/or CEO and should include detailed information on the individual’s accomplishments. Contact Lindsay Greene for additional details or call CBA at (770) 541-4490.

Chris McLaughlin has joined Colony Bank, Augusta, as Augusta Market President.

Kayla McDaniel, Colony Bank, Ashburn, has been promoted to Call Center Manager.

Hope Walk has joined Commercial Banking Company, Hahira, as Branch Manager and Banking Officer.

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:

Banker Regulatory Forum—Safety & Soundness
February 23, 2022 | STREAM
The goal of the Banker Regulatory Forum is to establish a dialogue with the state and federal regulators/agencies regarding their policies, procedures, and objectives. It also serves as a clearinghouse for CBA member concerns. Click here to submit your topics for the forum. Register here.

Mortgage Lending School
April 4-7, 2022 | Atlanta
In cooperation with the Community Bankers Association of Georgia, Crescent Mortgage is proud to sponsor the reboot of the Mortgage School. This school is targeted at both bankers who want to enter the secondary market mortgage space and those that are already seasoned in mortgage origination. Participants will be able to choose to attend either in person or virtually over two 2-day sessions (totaling 4 days / 32 total hours of instruction). In-person sessions will be held at Crescent Mortgage headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The Mortgage School will focus on the roles and functions within residential mortgage banking. Learn more and register.

2022 Compliance Professionals Package
We invite you to continue participating in CBA’s annual Compliance Program, the 2022 Compliance Professionals Package. CBA of GA continues to raise the bar on our program offerings to bring more benefits and value to our community bank compliance professionals. The Compliance Professionals Package will support your financial institution's strategies for managing an effective compliance program. As your professional development resource, we know you strive to continue growing your knowledge and skills as compliance professionals.

Compliance Program 1: How to Ensure Compliance with Deposit Regulations
North GA - March 22, 2022
Macon - March 23, 2022
Tifton - March 29, 2022
Statesboro - March 30, 2022

Georgia Year-End Review and What’s Ahead in 2022
Thursday, February 17, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Join this timely webinar for analysis from QwickAnalytics® as our experts break down 2021 and outline what to expect in 2022. We’ll assess how Georgia banks performed in critical areas such as loan growth and net interest margin, reveal where Georgia excels versus the rest of the nation, and discuss what’s ahead in 2022—and how your bank can start preparing for it now. More info and to register.

State of the State: Georgia QwickAnalytics is pleased to present the 2021 Annual Performance Review summary of key performance trends for Georgia community banks. Read here.

Bankers: Join CBA for Fintech Atlanta’s Run it by
the Buyer/Banker
FinTech Atlanta's Innovate Work Group, in partnership with Community Bankers Association of Georgia, invites you to attend our upcoming Run it by the Buyer/Banker event on Wednesday, February 23rd, from 1:00-4:30 pm, with a networking and happy hour reception immediately to follow from 4:30-6:00 pm.

Run it by the Buyers events convene large Georgia-based corporations and early/growth-stage fintech companies around a particular industry theme. The stated intent is to focus on key industry issues, opportunities, and challenges, with the goal of fostering commercial collaboration between large corporations ("Buyers") and promising young fintech companies building innovative new products, solutions, and services ("Sellers"). Register here.

Thank you to FIS for sponsoring the networking reception.

Registration Now Open for the Community Bankers School!
Click image for more information and to register.

Georgia Military College Invites Georgia Community Banks to Participate in GMC Cohort
Kate Pope, Director of Marketing and Sales, Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, recently met with CBA to extend an invitation to CBA banks to participate in the GMC Cohort.

"Our goal is to make the process of obtaining an education easy. We want to eliminate the hurdles that often seem overwhelming to people, such as applying for financial aid, selecting classes, or submitting transcripts,” explained Mrs. Pope. Georgia Military College and Exchange Bank, Milledgeville, partnered this past fall.

For information about employee tuition assistance and establishing an educational cohort for your organization, please contact admissionsinfo@gmc.edu.

Learn more: Cohort Checklist • An Affordable College Career at GMC • One GMC

Darnel is a debt collection agency founded upon a commitment to high ethical standards and driven by the successful recovery of your company's accounts receivable and bad debt.

We offer a combination of highly-developed skills and a wide-range of prompt, professional accounts receivable collection and bad debt collection programs specifically designed to fit your company's needs.

We are dedicated to serving you with the intention of building a long-term client relationship. We are the intelligent alternative for your company's need for debt collection, clearing backlogged receivables, improving cash flow and liquidity while enhancing your profitability.

Contact Greg Herring at 770-354-5256 or visit their website.

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

February 16, 2022