Sept 8 - CBA Today eNewsletter - Community Bankers Association of Georgia

Jasmine Brown

Community banks are known for their people and the relationships they develop with their customers and community. As the talent war continues, there’s good news for Georgia’s community banks – the next generation of community bankers are graduating at an increased pace from Georgia’s colleges. Business Administration and Management, Finance and Accounting are among the top bachelor’s degrees.

The Sept/Oct issue of Georgia Communities First magazine features Jasmine Brown, a hardworking college graduate who attended a career fair and was looking to break into the community banking space. This issue also offers insight from CBA CEO John McNair; Debra Weil, 2021—2022 CBA Chair, Community Banking Company of Fitzgerald; HR professionals from BankSouth, Greensboro, on internship and recruitment strategies; Tommy Marshall, Executive Director, Georgia Fintech Academy; and Aaron Diamant, Vice-Chancellor, Communications, University System of Georgia. Read the Sept/Oct issue.

Town Hall Talks This Thursday! It’s Not Too Late to Register
The first Town Hall Talk, presented by CBA and NFIB, will be held this Thursday, September 9, 2021. Originally scheduled to be held in Calhoun, CBA has worked very closely with our local partners, and in an effort to provide a safe and beneficial experience, the Town Hall Talks will be held in a virtual setting.

The Town Hall Talks provide community bankers the opportunity to engage their legislators in a Q&A session and hear perspectives on legislative issues that may impact your community bank.

Participating legislators to date include Rep. Joseph Gullet, Rep. Rick Jasperse, and Sen. Jason Anavitarte. Regulators include Commissioner Kevin Hagler and Commissioner John King. Register today!

Community Banks and Fintech, a Perfect Partnership
CBA President & CEO John McNair, penned an article in the current issue of James Magazine, on the collaboration between Georgia’s robust Fintech industry and strong network of community banking institutions.

In order to serve the changing needs of their customers, maintain profitability, and compete with tax and regulatory advantaged competition, community banks must continue the adoption of new technologies, which also serves to decrease the cost of internal operations, or efficiency ratio. Fortunately, this is what is occurring in Georgia. Read entire article.

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:

Flint Community Bank, Albany – Mr. Frank Griffin
Guardian Bank, Valdosta – Mr. Parrish Clark
South State Bank, N.A., Ellijay – Mr. Reese Sanford
Bank of Dade, Trenton – Mr. Shannon Henry
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Ms. Jennifer Burel
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. Mike Sale
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. Robert Cook
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. Will Tanneberger
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. David Hancock
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Ms. Manda Hanley
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. Bobby Cook
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. William Cabaniss
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Ms. Robbie Payne
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. Joseph Taylor, Jr.
The Commercial Bank, Crawford – Mr. R.C. Johnson, Jr.
Newton Federal Bank, Covington – Mr. Greg Proffitt

2021 Fall Clay Shoots
September 28, 2021 – Albany | October 21, 2021 – Mansfield
There’s something about coming together outdoors in the fall for a day of fellowship, skill, and raising money for a good cause. The North and South clay shoots honor two longtime bankers who were passionate about promoting community banking. Register today.

Jordan Dorsey has joined the BankSouth, Savannah, as Business Development Officer and Consumer Lender.

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:

Executive Channel: A C-Suite Forum
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

Diane Barton

WINSPIRE: From Ladies to Legends
Your CBA Team would like to personally invite each of our community banks to send at least one female to our WINSPIRE program on Thursday, September 23rd. We plan to celebrate, encourage, and share our gratitude to the Ladies in Community Banking. CEOs & C-Suite team members, who can you send to honor the work that has been accomplished this past year in your banks?

Join us to help honor these women who have served their banks, communities and families as we learn about their leadership journey.

Ladies in Community Banking Panel: Deesha Hagwood, Oconee State Bank; Jane Lawson, First Peoples Bank; Debra Weil, Community Bank of Fitzgerald; Kay Ford, BankSouth; Kim Hartsock, Warren Averett; Corrie Hall, James Bates Brannan Groover; and our Moderator Dianne Barton, Performance Solutions, Inc.

Check out the details of our inspirational day of program.

PAC/PR Advocacy After-Hours
After WINSPIRE, join us at the Foundry! Your registration includes a presentation on the history of jewelry making and different beads and gems. Then, we will have a jewelry-making session where each attendee will make a necklace and bracelet with the beads of their choice. Followed by refreshments, networking, a presentation from Lori Godfrey on CBA PAC efforts, and lastly, you'll hear from and visit with female legislators. You won't want to miss CBA's PAC/PR Advocacy After-Hours! Register today!

Webinar: Municipal Market Update:
Investment Strategies and Credit
September 14, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.
The municipal bond sector continues to occupy a significant portion of community bank portfolios and, year after year, serves as one of the better performing asset classes. A meaningful portfolio allocation to the municipal bond sector can provide a strong foundation for long-term bond portfolio performance and make a positive contribution to overall portfolio yields. The webinar will provide insights into the overall credit outlook of the municipal market considering COVID’s impact, with specific focus on the state and local government sectors, including schools K–12. We will highlight the federal programs designed to support the overall municipal market through mitigation of the financial consequences of the COVID pandemic on municipal issuer credit. Click here for more information and to register.

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.

Since 2001, Bankers Healthcare Group has provided loan products to a network of over 1,000 banks, nationwide. BHG has underwritten over $20 billion in funding requests and worked with tens of thousands of healthcare and other professionals throughout the United States. BHG’s loan program has become a secure, innovative opportunity for banks to achieve asset growth and portfolio diversification.

To learn more, contact Brian Mullett at 315-663-1121 or visit their website.

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

September 8, 2021