June 23 - CBA Today eNewsletter - Community Bankers Association of Georgia

Brian Bazemore, President/CEO, The Citizens Bank of Cochran/Community Bank of Dublin-Laurens County, was elected Chair of the 2021-2022 LEAD Committee for Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA). Nominations for the 2021-22 CBA Board of Directors were announced and approved at CBA’s Annual Convention held June 2-6 at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida.

Committee members are selected from seven divisions across the state of Georgia, ensuring all Georgia community banks are equally represented.

The purpose of the LEAD Committee is to support the initiatives of the CBA as determined by the CBA Board of Directors which include member & talent engagement, professional development, advocacy & PAC fundraising, and Outreach for Talent Acquisition and Financial Literacy; give LEAD representatives an opportunity to expand personally and professionally; and increase representatives’ awareness of the rapidly changing banking environment and enlist support in the preservation of the community banking philosophy.

(l-r) CBA President & CEO John McNair; Paul Black, Senior Vice President/Commercial Group Manager, Vinings Bank Smyrna, 2020-2021 LEAD Chair; and Brian Bazemore, President/CEO, The Citizens Bank of Cochran/Community Bank of Dublin-Laurens County and 2021-2022 LEAD Chair

COMMUNITY BANKERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 2020-2021 LEAD COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Chairman: Brian Bazemore, Community Bank of Dublin - Laurens County
Chairman-Elect: Chris Cochran, Affinity Bank
1st Vice Chairman: Jessica Hudson. First National Bank of Coffee County
2nd Vice Chairman: Kristy Harrell, First Port City Bank
Executive At Large:  Kyle Ray, First Bank

DIVISION CHAIRS:
Division 1 Chair: Lisa Shrader, Citizens Bank & Trust
Division 2 Chair: Mike Underwood, Peach State Bank & Trust
Division 3 Chair: Mani Swarnam, Georgia Primary Bank
Division 4 Chair: Jonathan Pope, Exchange Bank
Division 5 Chair: Michael McGahee, Bank of Camilla
Division 6 Chair: Thomas Bennett, Pineland Bank
Division 7 Chair: Stephanie Fagler, Persons Banking Company

MEMBERS AT LARGE:
1. Paul Black, Vinings Bank
2. Kristy Brown, Greater Community Bank
3. Chip Davis, Family Bank
4. Lee Dubberly, South Georgia Bank
5. Trudy Eller, American Commerce Bank, N.A.
6. Jonathon Guthrie, The Peoples Bank
7. Josh Osborne, SouthCrest Bank, N.A.
8. Jason Rooks, Flint Community Bank
9. Andy Thomas, The Commercial Bank
10. Mark Thompson, Glennville Bank
11. Dan Vano, Heritage Bank
12. Lee Vaughn, Northeast Georgia Bank

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:

United Community Bank, Jasper - Mr. Daniel Lopez
South Georgia Bank, Glennville - Mr. Bran Thompson
American Commerce Bank, Breman - Ms. Trudy Eller
Pineland Bank, Alma - Mr. Paul Bennett
Hyperion Bank, Atlanta - Mr. Charles Crawford

Complimentary Webinar for Members
Health Insurance Solution
Tuesday, June 29th at 10:00 am
CBA is hosting a complimentary webinar for member banks and partner firms to learn about the benefits of CBA’s Health Insurance solution. CBA has partnered with CS&O Captives and CBIZ to offer a comprehensive health insurance program for its members. Register here.

Sympathies
Our thoughts and prayers are with Frank Griffin, President, Flint Community Bank, Albany, on the loss of his mother Linda Melvina Griffin.

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 Oconee State Bank for celebrating the Grand Opening of their new Corporate Headquarters in downtown Watkinsville. The bank would like to thank their customers and community for joining in the celebration. CBA CEO John McNair had the distinct honor to offer remarks at the grand opening ceremony. According to John, "The Bank started over 60 years ago and is moving into the future with great optimism and enthusiasm. Bank Pres/CEO Neil Stevens' vision for the future is coming into shape. Such a wonderful and committed Board of Directors and a dedicated team of community bankers all focused on serving the needs of their community. This is what community banking is all about. So happy for all and am grateful for the opportunity to have participated.”
Greater Community Bank celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of the bank’s Calhoun location last weekend. The celebration included a live band, prizes, food from local favorites, and more. The new 11,000 square foot state-of-the-art building provides a hi-tech experience with the same personal service GCB’s customers love. Congratulations!
The Exchange Club of Dublin presented a Proudly We Hail Award last week to Brian Bazemore, President & CEO, The Citizens Bank of Cochran & Community Bank of Dublin-Laurens County, in memory of Chuck Harwell, former President & CEO of the bank who passed away last October. As a long-standing member of the Dublin Exchange Club, Chuck proudly flew a host of American flags around the bank during all significant American holidays, a tradition that continues today.

Just for Fun! Good Times in the Photo Booth at CBA’s Convention

John Harris has joined Colony Bank as a Mortgage Loan Originator for the Valdosta market.

Eric Fletcher has been promoted to Market President of the Watkinsville office of BankSouth.

Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC, is proud to announce its merger with CDPA, PC, an Alabama-based accounting and consulting firm, effective July 1, 2021. This merger increases Mauldin & Jenkins’ office locations to 12 across the Southeast, adding offices in Athens, AL, Florence, AL, and Huntsville, AL, respectively.

Jonathan Pope, Vice President & Commercial Lender, Exchange Bank at Lake Sinclair, recently graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Congratulations!

First National Community Bank will welcome Ryan P. Earnest as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2021 upon completion of the merger between First Chatsworth Bankshares Inc. (“FCBI”), parent of First National Community Bank (“FNCB”), and Heritage First Bancshares, Inc. (“HFBI”), parent of Heritage First Bank (“Heritage First”). Earnest presently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Rome, GA based Heritage First Bank.

Michelle King has joined Planters First Bank as Head Teller at the Cordele Banking Center.

Marvalynn Carroll, Executive Vice President (EVP), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Chief Credit Officer (CCO) at First Port City Bank, Bainbridge, recently celebrated her 40th anniversary with the bank. Congratulations!

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:

Increase Revenue by Offering Mortgages
July 20-21, 2021 | In Person or STREAM
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 four 2-day sessions (totaling 8 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. Click here to register.

Mortgage Lending: Start to Finish
Thursday, August 12, 2021 | In Person or STREAM
This one-day seminar will cover the key considerations and required disclosures for mortgage loans secured by real estate through the mortgage loan process - from Application to Servicing. We will bring together the requirements under the various lending-related regulations necessary to ensure compliance for closed-end consumer purpose real estate and dwelling-secured loans.
· Truth-in-Lending Act/Regulation Z
· RESPA/Regulation X
· Fair Credit Reporting Act/FACT Act - Regulation V
· Equal Credit Opportunity Act/ Regulation B
· Fair Housing Act
· Flood Disaster Protection Act
· Homeowners Protection Act
· Homeownership Counseling Notification Requirements
· Sale of Insurance
Register here.

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

June 23, 2021