March 3 - CBA Today eNewsletter - Community Bankers Association of Georgia

CBA’s Innovation Committee, chaired by Chris Stanley, Atlantic Capital Bank, Atlanta, is pleased to announce the expansion of the association’s partnerships with four leading fintech organizations by designating community bankers as association liaisons. These community bankers will represent CBA at all functions and events, and assist these organizations in executing their core mission and goals.

John McNair, President & CEO, C ommunity Bankers Association of Georgia, commented “Fintech is uniquely important to community banks and as the exclusive voice for Georgia’s community banking industry, I am proud that CBA has formed strategic partnerships with these wonderful organizations. I am grateful to Chairman Stanley for his leadership and the entire Innovation Committee for their commitment as well.”

ATDC - Kristin Slink
Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co. - Kim Kirk
Oconee State Bank - Marisa Reynolds
First National Bank of Coffee County - Dawn Bridges
Flint Community Bank - Frank Griffin
BankSouth - Keith Sebade
Georgia Banking Company - Elliott Miller

FinTech Atlanta - Kristina Morris
Heritage Bank Southeast - Lincoln Parks
Hyperion Bank - Alisha Nasse
Oconee State Bank - Marisa Reynolds
BankSouth - Keith Sebade
Craft Bank - Ross Mynatt

Georgia Fintech Academy - Tommy Marshall
Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co. - Kim Kirk
First National Bank of Coffee County - Dawn Bridges
Flint Community Bank - Frank Griffin

TAG - Technology Assoc. of Georgia - Sean Banks
Oconee State Bank - Marisa Reynolds
The Claxton Bank - Troy Poulin
Georgia Banking Company - Elliott Miller

For more information on CBA’s Innovation Committee, contact John McNair or Lindsay Greene.

Join 15 Community Banking HR Professionals in the 2021 HR & Talent Development League

HR & Talent Development RAP Session
Friday, March 12 | STREAM
Updated Lessons Learned: COVID-19 pandemic • After action reviews • What’s changed • Implementations that worked or did not work • Can we require a vaccine? • Legal update – what’s new, trending • Remote workforce – policy do’s and dont's Register here.

Want to Increase Your Community Outreach? Deadlines Fast Approaching!
Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) is pleased to help your bank promote the 2021 Julian & Jan Hester Memorial Scholarship. This is an excellent opportunity for Georgia's community banks to increase their presence throughout their communities.

The Hester Scholarship is open to Georgia high school seniors who will be entering a Georgia college, university or technical school (two year program or more) in the fall semester of 2021.

What you can do NOW:

Share information on the scholarship with your customers and staff
Encourage your co-workers to share with customers, friends & family
Contact guidance counselors at your local high schools
Post a link to the scholarship application on your bank's website
Promote on social media

Applications should be received by the bank no later than Friday, April 2, 2021. Banks should submit all completed applications to CBA no later than Friday, April 9, 2021. For more information click here.

Make Sure Your Bank is Ready to Celebrate Community Banking Month in April!
Show your community bank pride and support CBA’s PAC/PR efforts representing Georgia’s community banks. Gather employee t-shirt sizes so you can order all at once using a discount code. Submit your Orders using the online order & payment form. Click here and order by March 12th to receive and wear your shirts on Friday, April 2.

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

Congratulations to Cristi Donahue, EVP – Chief Retail Officer, at Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville, for being the 2020 Oconee Chamber of Commerce Diamond Award recipient. "She serves not because she has to, but because she wants to. Her can do attitude is contagious, she leads intentionally and with such an eagerness to support and encourage.”
Extra Special People, Inc. Executive Director and Oconee State Bank Board Member, Laura Whitaker, has been awarded the prestigious ATHENA Award from the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. The ATHENA Award honors women who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, who excel in their chosen field, and devote time and energy to their community.
Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville, announces the expansion of its Athens Loan Production Office to a Full Service Financial Center. Joe Hill, VP Financial Center Manager, and Shannon Ford, AVP Assistant Financial Center Manger, look forward to serving customers at One Press Place in downtown Athens! Read press release here.
The Summerville News recently featured Southeast First National Bank, Summerville, for their 40 years of financial service to Chattooga County and its citizens. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Greater Community Bank, Rome, for celebrating 25 years of service across Northwest Georgia.

Read more here.

Tony Gray has joined Queensborough National Bank & Trust, Savannah, as Assistant Branch Manager.

Read more here.

United Community Banks, Inc., Blairsville, announced Rich Bradshaw has been named President of its subsidiary United Community Bank. He will also retain his current title of Chief Banking Officer of the Bank.

Read more here.

Lynn Harton will remain Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the holding company, United Community Banks, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of the bank.

Read more here.

James Stevens, Partner, Troutman Pepper LLP, Atlanta, was recently named a 2021 Leader in Corporate Citizenship by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Read more here.

Wendi Spinks, Legacy State Bank, Loganville has been promoted to Vice President, Loan Operations Manager

United Community Bank was recently recognized with multiple Greenwich Excellence Awards for U.S. Small Business Banking for the year ended 2020. United received five awards in total, two of which were national honors for Overall Satisfaction and Likelihood to Recommend.

Read press release.

Luis Varela has joined Capital City Home Loans, Gwinnett County as a Mortgage Consultant

Legacy State Bank, Loganville has announced the following promotions:

Dawn Carlyle has been promoted to Vice President, Deposit Operations Manager and Network Administrator.
Aimee Corcoran has joined the bank as Vice President, Compliance, BSA, Human Resources

South Georgia Banking Company, Tifton, announces Board of Director position changes and staff promotions. Glenn Willis has been named Chairman of the bank’s Board of Directors and CEO. Brian Ponder has been named Vice Chairman. Sam McCard is the new President of South Georgia Banking Company. Donna Watson has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. Jessica Gourley has been named BSA officer. Read more here.

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:

2021 Leadership Academy
The Popular Community Bank Leadership Academy Starts March 22. Register today to participate in four interactive, action oriented learning sessions.
Hilton Garden Inn - Mercer | 1220 Stadium Dr,, Macon, GA 31204

Join 20 community bankers to develop personal and professional leadership skills through CBA's Community Bank Leadership Academy. Our Leadership Academy is engaging, interactive & effective. Participants will set learning goals, assess and increase their leadership skills including, communicating effectively in teams, with clients, and with various personality styles, they will make presentations with confidence, build project action plans, improve performance and continue their ongoing learning. The leadership academy will enhance individual skills that will bring positive influence to your organizations and communities.

Quarterly Georgia Performance Review
Powered by Stackfolio
Each quarter, CBA Associate Member Stackfolio will analyze the FDIC call report data and summary performance reports to report how Georgia’s banks are performing. The Quarterly Performance Review powered by Stackfolio is an interactive scorecard available to all CBA of Georgia members free of charge with no login required. In this quarter's review, Stackfolio notes that after an incredibly unpredictable year, the 157 Georgia-chartered banks ended the year on several high notes. This includes an increase of the share of banks (94.27%) that earned a profit from the previous quarter, continued stabilization of credit quality, and a few other important points. Click to see the rest of the review and other important data points!

FREE Webinar: A Year in the Making: Where the Bond Market Stands Today
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
The past 12 months have been a non-stop ride through first-ever events related to the bond market. Unprecedented stimulus programs, aggressive Federal Reserve actions, and an institutional investors’ changing demands have produced an entirely new paradigm for portfolio management.

This one-hour webinar, co-hosted by Community Bankers of Georgia and ICBA Securities, will discuss the current state of investing, and highlight sectors that have appeared or have become more popular over the past year. We will also comment on the makeup of a typical community bank’s bond portfolio in 2021. Jim Reber, President and CEO of ICBA Securities, will be the presenter.

FREE Webinar: STS Presents POPi/o Video Banking
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 11:00 AM
The webinar will cover everything from video banking capabilities without sacrificing the personal human touch, to the versatility of building your virtual branch. Plus, the latest video banking data showing proof of adoption and acceptance by consumers. Click here to register.

Holtmeyer & Monson provides banks with comprehensive, out-of-house services and the high level of expertise required for SBA lending. The Company helps community banks offer small businesses access to capital while benefiting from a profitable source of non-interest fee income. Holtmeyer & Monson covers every stage of the process – from loan packaging and closing, to securitization and sale, through portfolio servicing. Based on its full-service capabilities and credibility, institutions can be confident that their SBA lending credits will be handled expertly, efficiently and with the highest levels of safety and soundness.

Contact Arne Monson at 800-340-7304, by email or visit their website.

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

March 3, 2021