June 8 - CBA Today eNewsletter - COMMUNITY BANKERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA

Congratulations to Moultrie Bank & Trust. The bank officially opened on May 9, 2022, at its current location on Doc Darbyshire Road in Moultrie. Last week, bank President Donna Lott, along with members of the bank’s Board of Directors, held a groundbreaking ceremony at the permanent location at 500 Veterans Parkway North.

“CBA is ecstatic to celebrate the opening of Moultrie Bank & Trust in Moultrie, Georgia. Any time a community bank opens in Georgia it is cause for celebration; however, even more so when a new bank opens in an underserved, rural, and/or minority-based market,” stated John McNair, President & CEO of Community Bankers Association of Georgia. “The commitment to invest in a community bank by the local businesspeople represents the importance of a local community bank to the area’s citizens and small business owners. CBA is looking forward to working with President/CEO Donna Lott and her team! Additionally, CBA will continue to work with legislators and regulators to make it easier for capital to flow into new and existing community banks.”

CBA’s John McNair has an interesting tie to Moultrie. When his family came to the U.S. from Scotland, they originally settled in the Moultrie area.

Moultrie Bank & Trust will focus on serving the banking needs of small and medium-size businesses and their owners and employees, farming operations and their owners and employees, real estate investors and developers, and professionals and their practices in Colquitt County, as well as its adjacent counties. The management team is led by Chief Executive Officer and President Donna S. Lott, Chief Lending Officer John C. Peters, Jr., and Chief Financial Officer Collin M. Batchelor. Visit www.mbtga.com for more information about the bank.

Ellen Shea

CBA Welcomes Ellen Shea as Director of Association Services
Ellen Shea, CMP, has joined CBA as Director of Association Services. With over 24 years in association and event management, she previously worked as Director of Event Services with Nardone Consulting Group, where she managed events for four of the association's clients. Ellen also spent 18 years with the Georgia Association of REALTORS® as their Director of Association Services, overseeing the events and education for the Association. She began her career in association management with the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association doing marketing and event planning.

Ellen specializes in event management and design, with a flair for taking the ordinary meeting to the next level with her creativity. She has extensive experience in meeting logistics, contract negotiations, trade shows, association management, and project management.

“CBA is very fortunate to find someone of Ellen’s experience, energy, and character in this challenging labor market,” commented John McNair, CBA President & CEO. “We welcome her into the CBA family with open arms and are excited for the contributions she will make to the association and our valued members.”

Ellen currently holds the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation from the Convention Industry Council, is a graduate of the Sustainable Events Professional Certificate (SEPC) course, and has a certificate for Hospitality and Tourism Management from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from The Women’s College of Brenau University and later returned to her alma mater to serve as President of the Alumnae Association. She received the Outstanding Alumnae Award in 2007. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys photography and spending time at Lake Hartwell with her family.

Save the Date: Bank Directors 2022
Calling all CEOs, Chairpersons and Committee Chairpersons—this conference is just for YOU! Designed for bank leadership to share ideas, discuss “best practices” and take a deep dive into topics and practices relevant tp your bank’s continued success.

“We believe that bank leaders and board members are continually diluted with their time and energy related to personal, regulatory, business, and community obligations,” stated Kristi Greer, SVP Professional Development at CBA. “As such, the CBA of GA is dedicated to practical guidance to narrow the focus of bank leaders and board members. These sessions will put an emphasis on the important over the urgent, to help establish processes that will ease the administrative burden of chairing executive meetings, board meetings, or committee meetings.”

The conference will be held at the new Hotel 45 in Macon, and participants will leave with multiple tools:

Board Member Roles/ Responsibilities Checklists
Model Board Meeting Agenda
Model Committee Meeting Agenda

Take a look at the agenda and save your spot today—attendance is limited to 40 participants. Upon registration, participants will be asked to complete a survey to support learning opportunities and make the most of our time together. Sponsorships available--contact Lindsay Greene.

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:

American Commerce Bank, Bremen--Ms. Trudy Eller

Solutions Galore—Meet the Exhibitors at CONNECT
A long-time tradition at CBA conventions, the popular Mini-Trade Show is changing it up this year, offering more time for bankers and providers to connect.

Join 32 of the country’s top financial services providers for the Mini-Trade Show and learn about new offerings to help your bank become more efficient and enhance the customer experience. Register today!

Small Banks Set to Go Live With Bitcoin Trading--American Banker
A group of community banks is poised to fulfill a high-tech goal it set last year: to let customers buy and sell bitcoin on mobile banking apps.

An estimated 300 banks, some of which unveiled their plans in June, will go live with this service in the first or second quarter with the help of the fintech NYDIG. Several regulatory and security concerns have been worked out in the months since the initial announcement, and partnerships and integrations between NYDIG and the banks’ existing technology vendors have been completed, according to participants.

“We have seen significant activity in cryptocurrency transactions from our customer accounts, and a few investments have been rather large, so that is obviously getting our attention,” said Harold Reynolds, CEO of the $1.3 billion-asset BankSouth in Greensboro, which is among the banks aiming to roll out bitcoin trading in its mobile app by midyear. Read more.

Sympathy
CBA extends our sincere sympathy to family and friends of Marlene Embry of Johns Creek, who recently passed away. In 1987, Marlene and her husband Jack, along with Jack’s brother Jim, founded Embry National Bank in Atlanta, which they eventually merged with what is now United Community Bank. Read 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:

Signature Bank, Sandy Springs, announces a distinctly different new look!! It’s been 17 years since the bank opened and unveiled the Signature Bank of Georgia logo. According to a release from the bank, “We’re excited to reveal our new logo design that aligns with our innovative outlook to an exciting future.”
Heath Fountain, President & CEO, Colony Bank, was recently featured in Metro Atlanta CEO on the topic “Managing While Growing Your Organization.” Watch full video here.
Queensborough National Bank & Trust, Louisville, hosted the 1st annual Group Cycle fundraising ride! The bank is proud to have a cycle team raising money for Paceline and the Georgia Cancer Center!

Robert J. “Robby” Redmond has joined Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville, as Senior Vice President, Macon Community President. The bank has announced its expansion into the Macon and Central Georgia Market.

Jennifer Stalvey has joined Moultrie Bank & Trust as a lender. Her focus will be on commercial lending.

Jim Brown has joined Moultrie Bank & Trust as a lender. His focus will be on agricultural and mortgage lending.

Leslie Ehlers has joined Colony Bank, Fitzgerald, as Vice President, Director of Marketing.

Steven Bernaski has joined Colony Bank, Fitzgerald, as President of Marine and RV Lending, Senior Vice President.

Allen Robinson has joined The Southern Bank, Sardis, as Senior Vice President of Residential Mortgage.

Russ Williams has joined The Southern Bank, Sardis, as Senior Vice President of Upstate Commercial Lending in the Greenville, SC market.

Katie Ferrell, CRCM, CAMS, and Sandy Panella, CRCM, have joined United Bankers’ Bank, Bloomington, MN, in the UBB Compliance Services Team.

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:

WINSPIRE—One Week from Today! Have you Registered?
June 15, 2022 | Macon
We invite our ladies in community banking to join us for a day to relax, learn, be encouraged, and gain tools for personal wellness. We will be at the brand new hotel in Macon, Hotel 45, for a hot breakfast, sit-down lunch, networking, and a fitness class for all levels. Come dressed in your yoga pants. Register today!

Redlining: Not the Basics—What are Community Bankers Asking?
June 16, 2022 | Live Virtual STREAM
This will be a one-hour virtual program packed with information you can use to support your roles that involve understanding, actions, and monitoring those actions on an ongoing basis. We will learn from each other! Register here.

WEBINAR: Mortgage Market Update and Opportunities
June 14, 2022 | 11 AM | STREAM
ICBA Securities and its exclusively endorsed broker, Stifel, will present information on how mortgage-backed securities are a core sector allocation for high-performing depository investment portfolios. In this presentation, we will discuss the impact of various factors influencing performance in the MBS market. Learn more and register.

CRA Partners offers a compliance solution powered by the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation. Since our inception in 2000, we have helped banks across the country earn meaningful CRA credit for ensuring safe senior living environments through our turnkey crime prevention program, Senior Crimestoppers. Funded exclusively by the banking industry and endorsed by bankers associations in 30+ states, Senior Crimestoppers protects low- to moderate-income seniors living in senior housing facilities, HUD communities and state veterans homes from theft, abuse and neglect.

The hundreds of bank partners we’ve worked with have seen the impact of their funds firsthand. Our flexible funding options make it simple for banks to get involved through a community development loan, community development investment, or a grant—it all depends on your bank’s CRA needs.

Contact Shea Gabrielleschi at 901-529-4773 or visit their website.

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

June 8, 2022