Feb 2 - CBA Today eNewsletter - COMMUNITY BANKERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA

One of the many benefits of membership with CBA is the complimentary participation in the quarterly Banker Regulatory Forum (BRF). The goal is to establish a dialogue with the state and federal regulators/agencies regarding their policies, procedures, and objectives.

The regulatory agencies cover their hot topics first, with questions from the bankers allowed at any time. In addition, if time permits, the regulators will answer any prepared questions submitted prior to the meeting. We ensure an open dialogue between bankers and regulators throughout the forum. The program is open to both bankers and associate members, especially fintech companies looking to learn more in this area. Mark your calendar and register for the February 23rd Banker Regulatory Forum.. Special thanks to our sponsors James-Bates-Brannan-Groover, LLP and Warren Averett. Learn more and register.

CBA’s Innovation Committee off to a Busy Start
CBA’s Innovation Committee, chaired by Chris Stanley, Atlantic Capital Bank, Atlanta, held their first meeting of the year last week. The committee reviewed numerous upcoming events and heard updates from several guest speakers, including Kristin Slink, ATDC, and Tommy Marshall, Georgia Fintech Academy. Kristina Morris and Hamza Qadir provided information on the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Program and how bankers can participate. Fintech Atlanta and CBA are hosting the Fintech Atlanta Run it by the Banker/Buyer on February 23, 2022, at Atlantic Capital Bank, and FIS is the reception sponsor. CBA member banks are invited to attend. Click to register.

Welcome Bank of Monticello
CBA’s Board of Directors, along with CBA’s Membership Committee, welcomes Walker Jordan, President & CEO, and Bank of Monticello, as new members.

“We are delighted to have Walker and his team in our membership,” said John McNair, President & CEO, Community Bankers Association of Georgia. “We look forward to serving the bank and assisting them in utilizing the many professional development programs and benefits membership offers.”

Announcing CBA’s First Cork Pull PAC/PR Fundraiser
March 1st will be CBA’s FIRST Cork Pull. The cork pull is an initiative from CBA’s LEAD Committee designed to raise capital for the PAC/PR fund. The PAC/PR fund is the fuel that helps Lori Godfrey, John McNair, and the CBA team to promote advocacy for community banks in Georgia. Come to the Compliance Officer Bootcamp on St. Simons Island for learning plus participate in the cork pull to support PAC/PR.

“Advocacy comes in many forms; from grassroots efforts, where the CBA calls for support from individual community bankers throughout the year, to advocating on the floor at the Georgia State Capitol, Lori and her team fight for the benefit of community banks. As individual community banks, we are challenged to have a legislative voice or sustain the full attention of individual politicians. The CBA advocates on behalf of all community banks in Georgia and gives us the voice needed to help guide policy and create an equal banking environment so we can continue to support the local communities, individuals, and businesses we serve. Thank you again for participating in the cork pull. Please let us know if you would like to hear more about how you can become further involved in other CBA advocacy efforts,“ explained Chris Cochran, SVP, Affinity Bank, Atlanta.

“Our LEAD committee is always coming up with fun and new ways to support the community banking industry. And for this group to plan a cork pull for our compliance officers learning week makes it even better. The compliance officers will get a chance to hear about advocacy efforts that truly support them directly,” commented Kristi Greer, SVP-Professional Development If your compliance officer is not registered for this bootcamp, we encourage you to invite them to register. CBA is the ONLY organization in Georgia that advocates exclusively on behalf of community banks.

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:

Craft Bank, Atlanta--Mr. Ross Mynatt
Family Bank, Pelham--Mr. Chip Davis, Mr. Frank Dixon
First Bank, Dalton--Mr. Mitch Sanford
Hyperion Bank, Atlanta--Mr. Charlie Crawford
Loyal Trust Bank, Johns Creek--Ms. Renee Hinkson
OneSouth Bank, Blakely--Ms. Kim Davis-Wilson

CBA Welcomes New Associate Members
The Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) would like to welcome new Associate Members who were recently approved by the Board of Directors. Throughout the year, CBA’s Board reviews and approves quality vendors who provide products and services to CBA members. For more information on becoming an associate member, click here or contact Lindsay Greene.

Abram Armored
Mr. Tony Webb
Cash Logistics
Auburn, GA

Alden Investment Group
Ms. Carissa Bobenchik
Financial Services
Wayne, PA

Aspen Capital Solutions
Mr. Nick Zuchegno
Financial Services
Atlanta, GA

Atlas Platform by StreetShares
Mr. Sanjay Bhaskar
Fintech
Reston, VA

ATM Solutions, Inc.
Ms. Mary Darby
ATM Services
Norcross, GA

Community Bankers Bank
Ms. Rose Washofsky
Correspondent Services
Midlothian, VA

DataSeers, Inc.
Mr. Adwait Joshi
Financial Software
Alpharetta, GA

DefenseStorm
Ms. Sarah Martin
Cyber Security Services
Alpharetta, GA

FinPro
Mr. Brian Good
Consulting
Gladstone, NJ

Lincoln James Marketing Solutions
Mr. Lincoln Parks, Mr. James Turpin
Marketing Services
McDonough, GA

Novatech
Mr. Michael Cox
Cyber Security Services
Alpharetta, GA

Coming to a Community Bank Near You—CBA’s Swaggin’ Wagon
The New Year brings a fresh look for CBA’s popular Swaggin’ Wagon. Ole Swags is known for hitting the Georgia highways bright and early on the way to visit Georgia’s community banks. Special thanks to Chris Nelson, STS Group and John Gianacacci, BCC-USA for sponsoring Swags this year. #OleSwags

Frank Griffin, Flint Community Bank, Sworn Into State School Board
Frank Griffin, President, Flint Community Bank, Albany, was recently sworn into the State Board of Education, representing District 2. Governor Kemp appointed Frank in December 2021.

“Thank you, Governor Brian Kemp, for granting me the privilege of representing the people of District 2 on the State Board of Education. It is indeed an honor to serve in this capacity. I look forward to continuing to work with the rest of the State Board and the State School Superintendent, as a governance team, to make public education in Georgia the best it can be,” Frank stated.

Lori Godfrey, EVP, Government and Regulatory Relations at CBA, attended the ceremony and commented, “I was honored to be a part of Community Bankers Association of Georgia Board Member Frank Griffin’s swearing in ceremony for the State Board of Education. Community bankers wear so many hats and invest in their communities in different ways. I’m proud of what Frank is doing for our state.”

Sympathy
CBA offers our sincere sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Jon Lott, who passed away on January 30, 2022. At the time of his death, he served as Executive Vice President of FNB South, Alma, where he had worked for nearly three decades. Visitation will be February 9, 2022 and the service will be held February 10, 2022. Obituary and service details.

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

The Board of Directors, officers and staff of Community Bank of Pickens County, Jasper, congratulate Lorrie Shaw for being named Pickens County Citizen of the Year at the Pickens County Chamber Annual Awards Banquet. Lorrie is a member of the Board of Directors as well as Chief Credit Officer for the bank.
Century Bank & Trust, Milledgeville recently made a donation of $50,000 to local hospital Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin through the Georgia HEART Hospital program. Read more.

Kiely Donaldson, CPA, MBA, has joined James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP, Athens, in the firm’s Tax and Wealth Planning practice group.

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:

Leadership Is Influence!
We kicked off CBA’s Branch Leadership program yesterday in Macon. Community Bankers have chosen to grow in their role and responsibilities by participating in this effective, very popular program that we have offered for twenty plus years. “As your adult education practitioner, I can assure our community banks that this program has been enhanced each year to stay modern and up to date while continuing to deliver the effective leadership tools to be a successful supervisor in your branches,” said Kristi Greer, SVP-Professional Development. It’s not too late to join the series. You can start at the next session, April 26.

During the introduction of our session, we asked the bankers why they chose this class, responses included: I want to be a great branch manager. I want to leave an impression on my team. I want to learn from others. I gain more knowledge by learning from others. I took this class two years ago and knew I needed to come back and refresh my memory and continue increasing my skills.

We hope you will invest in your team by choosing to send a supervisory that wants to make an impact on your bank’s success.

Commercial Lending Bootcamp
CBA’s popular 5-day school has become a series of sessions to support your ongoing skill development. The lending bootcamp is broken into three 2-day sessions to enhance the learning culture. Participants can choose the entire program (now 6 full days - broken into three2-day sessions) or choose one session (2-day) topic that you would like to refresh knowledge.

The purpose of the CLB is assist community banks to grow their own Commercial Lenders internally over an extended period. Candidates will be taught vital skills required to be successful in Commercial Lending by properly weighting credit risk versus an acceptable return for the financial institution. The overall concept of the CLB is exposing candidates to specific topics in Commercial Lending and allowing time to practice the knowledge gained from that topic before the next session. During the following sessions, candidates will be able to share their experience and ask questions about the actual application of techniques.

State of Georgia Rental Assistance Program
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) launched the Georgia Rental Assistance (GRA) program in March 2021 to provide relief to Georgia individuals, families, and landlords whose finances have been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Georgia received $552 million from the U.S. Treasury's Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA1) and an additional $437 million under ERA2. The GRA program can provide up to 18 months of rental assistance and utility assistance, paid directly to landlords and service providers on behalf of the renter. See Community Affairs flyer.

Bahr Consultants, Inc. is a "fee only” risk management and insurance consulting firm that specializes in analysis of financial institutions insurance exposures. The focus is on the Financial Institution Bond, Directors & Officers Liability, Cyber Liability, Bankers Professional Liability and Property/Casualty insurance exposures for banks. Founded by W.H. (Hank) Bahr in 1988, Bahr Consultants provides insurance reviews as recommended by the Ga. Dept of Banking, and can assist banks in obtaining competitive insurance pricing and proper insurance coverage through the bid process.

To learn more, contact Hank Bahr at 865-694-6098 or visit their website.

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

February 2, 2022