Sept 15 - CBA Today eNewsletter - Community Bankers Association of Georgia

Thursday, September 23, 2021 | Graduate Hotel and the Foundry, Athens, GA
Formerly Women in Banking, WINSPIRE is a positive and upbeat session with instructional and motivational presentations for all women. WINSPIRE promotes personal and professional growth and development in Mind, Body & Spirit. Learn more and register.

AGENDA INCLUDES

Set Yourself Up for Success—Special Message from Joni Taylor, UGA Women's Basketball Head Coach
April Farlow, a motivational speaker & performance coach, who founded Lydia’s Place will bring a fun, interactive session to encourage us to live our best life while lifting up others.
Business Development Opportunities—Being Your Best at Receptions (includes etiquette, proper handling of wine glasses, reception food & beverages; introductions, handshakes, business cards, follow up) Dianne Barton
Business Development Opportunities: Being Your Best at Networking Events - Lunch & Dinner Table Etiquette Dianne Barton
Relaxation Sound Bath Rebecca Turk - SNDBath
Stretch Sesh--Personal Wellness: Taking Care of Self--Personal Trainer Stretches & Cool Down Caroline Ward - former UGA Gymnast, TransFit Athens

Community Bankers Association of Georgia Announces the Engagement
of Fiveash-Stanley as Association's Government Relations Partner
The Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) is pleased to announce the engagement of Fiveash-Stanley to serve as the association’s Government Relations Partner. Fiveash-Stanley is one of Georgia’s leading government and public affairs consulting firms. Founded in 2000, the team brings together decades of experience, relationships, and client success stories.

“Under the direction of Lori Godfrey, CBA has earned recognition as the premier advocate for Georgia’s community banking industry. The engagement of Fiveash-Stanley will enable CBA to further expand its government relations and grass roots outreach efforts. I am looking forward to working with Bryan, Haydon, and Katie,” commented John McNair, CBA President & CEO.

“Fiveash-Stanley is one of the most well-respected government relations firms in Georgia. Their reputation for honesty and integrity is a perfect fit for the advocacy philosophy of CBA. I have known Bryan and Haydon for some time now and am looking forward to working with them on behalf of Georgia’s community banks,” stated Lori Godfrey, Chief of Staff and EVP of Government and Regulatory Relations for CBA.

“Our partnership with Fiveash-Stanley will take our CBA advocacy efforts to the next level! We are thrilled about our future and the substantial impact we will make in community bank advocacy as a result of this partnership,” said Neil Stevens, President & CEO, Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville, and CBA Advocacy Committee Chair.

"For more than fifty years, CBA Members have been essential community partners throughout Georgia. We are excited to support that work as part of the CBA team," said Bryan Fiveash, Fiveash-Stanley, Inc. Click for press release.

Branch Transformation—Merging Technology, Retail Space and Personal Service
As banks strive to adapt to evolving customer expectations and technology, branch transformation becomes increasingly important to offering an efficient and engaging environment.
Branch transformation is happening in banks across the country and has become even more accelerated due to the recent labor shortage and pandemic.

CBA asked several of our partner firms to share what they are seeing in the field, adoption of Teller Cash Recyclers (TCRs), and ITMs (Interactive Teller Machines), as well as the journey to dialogue banking. Special thanks to: Cash Trans, Eclipse Brand Builders, Planters First Bank, Southern Bank Equipment & ATMs, and STS Group. Read the article in the September/October issue of Georgia Communities First.

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

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of September 11th, Exchange Bank, Milledgeville, organized a memorial walk on Friday, September 10, 2021. Employees and some local first responders began the morning by surrounding the bank's American flag with a moment of silence and prayer. Exchange Bank's President and CEO, John Childs, paid tribute to the innocent lives lost that day and reflected on the unity of our great country following the aftermath of the heinous terror attacks. Attendees then embarked on a memorial walk around downtown Milledgeville. Read more here.
William Mills, William Mills Agency, had the opportunity to interview Kim Kirk, Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer at Queensborough National Bank & Trust at Finovate this week in New York. Ms. Kirk commented, “I had such fun! I love my job and getting to bring banking services and technology to my customers, and I love getting the chance to talk about community banking.
Congratulations to Bob James, President & CEO, Carver State Bank, Savannah, who will be inducted to the Junior Achievement Savannah Business Hall of Fame on November 9, 2021. Inductees are nominated by a committee of their peers and are selected based on their commitment to the local community. More information about this honor, the black-tie event and sponsorship opportunities can be found here.

Sympathy
CBA extends our sincere sympathies to the family, friends and associates of Bill Kane, who recently passed away. Mr. Kane served on the Board of Directors of Tandem Bank, Tucker. The service was held on September 10, 2021. Click here for obituary.

Rebecca Gilliam has been promoted to Vice President, Director of Marketing, at River City Bank, Rome.

Sandra Mayo has been promoted to Vice President, Director of Information Technology, at River City Bank, Rome.

Daryn Russell has joined BankSouth, Greensboro, as Chief Banking Officer.

Cindy Davis was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager at Vinings Bank, Smyrna.

Jennifer Rudd has been promoted to Vice President, Director of Deposit Operations, at Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville.

Monica Wright has joined Oconee State Bank, Watkinsville, as Vice President/SBA Operations Manager.

Justin Wyatt has joined Bank of Dudley, Dublin, as Chief Financial Officer.

Joe Thomas has joined Bank of Dudley, Dublin, as Vice President and Commercial Lender.

Kevin O'Neal has rejoined Bank of Dudley, Dublin, as Banking Officer and Commercial and Consumer Lender at the Veterans Boulevard Branch.

River City Bank, Rome and LPL Financial are pleased to announce the promotion of Kitty Barton to Senior Vice President and Director of RCB Wealth Management located at River City Bank.

Leslie Farmer has been promoted to Assistant Vice President/Assistant Controller, at Planters First Bank, Cordele.

ACTION NEEDED!
FHLBank Atlanta 2021 Election of Directors
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (Bank) is conducting an election to fill two member directorships and one public interest independent directorship on its board of directors. An email inviting members to cast their ballots was delivered on Monday, August 23, 2021. Eligible institutions in Alabama and the District of Columbia will vote to fill the member directorship in their respective state, and eligible institutions across the Bank’s footprint will vote to fill the public interest independent directorship.

All elected directors will serve four-year terms that begin on January 1, 2022.

The FHLBank Atlanta Board of Directors has nominated the following individual for the public interest independent directorship:

Brian McLaughlin, President, Enterprise Community Development, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland

Your institution’s vote is important, and the bank encourages you to participate in the election. An independent director nominee must receive at least 20 percent of the votes eligible to be cast to be elected.

The deadline for the bank to receive completed ballots is 5:00 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, September 22, 2021.

If you have any questions about the 2021 director elections, please contact Tina Carew, Deputy General Counsel, at 404.888.8549 or tcarew@fhlbatl.com.

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:

Branch Leadership Series
The Branch Leadership Series will focus on the critical success elements of managing and leading performance-focused sales and service team. Each workshop is designed either as a series or as a stand-alone, packaged full of checklists, job aids, case studies, examples, and "real world" situations. The series provides a branch manager and branch management team with current, proven solutions to managing a successful branch today. The Branch Leadership Series is designed for Retail Managers, Branch Managers, Assistant Branch Managers, Branch Manager Candidates, Head Tellers, Teller Supervisors, Personal/Universal Bankers, and anyone responsible for the direction and development of a retail branch. Register here.

Consumer Lending School
The CBA has been a leader for decades in providing training for community bank consumer lenders. This annual 4½ day school is designed to take the student through the process of consumer lending to develop and advance the skills necessary to administer quality consumer loans. Numerous in-class case studies and exercises will be utilized to assist with comprehension and retention of these skills. Register today.

Executive Channel: Invite Your Board Chair or a Director!
Session III: October 5, 2021 | Macon
Register now for high-level in-person peer connections exclusively offered in CBA’s Executive Channel. The Executive Channel provides a direct connection for Executive Bankers from across the state! CBA has gathered for you a group of industry leaders to share information and guide discussions.

Topics include: Mergers & Acquisitions - Executive Compensation - Succession Planning

Webinar: Instant Payments—A Great Growth Opportunity in Business Banking
September 16, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.
This webinar looks at how banks can go on a core-independent, quick adoption path of instant payments to better serve their business customers. Get abreast with market and technology trends and learn how other banks are realizing growth opportunities with innovative use cases for their business customers. Session will include: How banks are responding to fintech invasion in the business banking space; simple use cases with instant payments to help your bank serve business banking customers; value-added services to business customers; and how banks can monetize from offering instant payments to business customers. More info/register.

Webinar: Innovation in Banking: Integration Essentials That Drive Transformation
September 23, 2021 | 12:00 noon
Innovation requires strategic decision making. Challenges often stem from the acquisition of various so-called “best in breed” products from multiple vendors into a cohesive workflow. Unfortunately, the integration of each of these systems can present a challenge. Join ProcessMaker as we discuss best practices in integration for new tools into your technology ecosystem. Click here for more info or 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.

To learn more, contact Arne Monson at 800-340-7304 or visit their website.

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

September 15, 2021