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GBA Testifies Again on Interchange IssueThe Georgia House Study Committee on interchange met again this week. GBA President and CEO Tripp Cofield represented Georgia banks on a financial institutions panel that also included CBA and the Georgia Credit Union League. Additional testimony was provided by FiServ and Global Payments. The two panels discussed the global interconnectedness of the payments ecosystem and the importance of state legislatures not disrupting it. A panel representing merchants presented opposing arguments and remained committed to the idea that they should not pay interchange on the sales tax portion of a transaction. The committee chair, Rep. Will Wade (R-Dawsonville), indicated this would be the final meeting of the study committee and that he would be hearing separately from members who want to offer any recommendations. Of note, Illinois did pass legislation earlier this year similar to what has been proposed in Georgia, and that legislation is currently stalled in the court system. The OCC felt strongly enough about the Illinois legislation that they recently filed an amicus brief opposing it. Read Tripp's testimony here. With questions, please call GBA’s Tripp Cofield at 617.909.9530 or Elizabeth Chandler at 404.372.7893.
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Members Give Fed Gov. Lisa Cook an Update on Storm RecoveryFederal Reserve Gov. Lisa Coook was in Atlanta last Friday, and she convened a roundtable of bankers to share with her the effects of Hurricane Helene on Georgia’s banking sector and numerous communities. Bankers shared details about storm preparation activities, how their business recovery plans were put into action and the severity of storm damage throughout the state. Participating members represented banks serving the broad geography affected by the storm as well as banks of a variety of asset sizes. Gov. Cook said the information is helpful in the Fed’s assessment of overall economic impact and in determining ongoing regulatory relief for banks in affected areas. Roundtable participants were: Brent Sammons, Altamaha Bank & Trust; John Hall, Morris Bank; Clare Easterlin, Queensborough National Bank & Trust; Michael Colasso, Synovus Bank; Kristina Christy, Wells Fargo; Katherine Saez, Truist Bank; Mary Beth Coke, Regions Bank; David Oliver, GBA; and Bo Brannen, GBA. We appreciate Gov. Cook giving our members such a forum and for counting on GBA as a resource for her information gathering efforts.
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BankPAC Golf Classic Scores for AdvocacyWe had a full flight of members and guests at this week’s BankPAC Golf Classic on a sparkling fall day. The tournament is sponsored by Leadership GBA to raise money for GBA’s advocacy efforts. Thanks to Leadership GBA Board Chair Brad Sheffield, Synovus Bank, for leading the day’s program. “I’m so thankful our membership turned out in such strong way today to help fund our GBA State PAC campaign,” he said. “We also appreciate the generosity of our sponsors, who chipped in for some fun on-course activities and in making the overall event a huge success.” Here’s who took home top honors for the day:
- First Place Overall: Walker Jordan, Bank of Monticello, and Joel Foster, Raymond James & Associates
- Second Place Overall: BJ Coody, The Citizens Bank of Cochran, and Matt Fordham, the Citizens Bank of Cochran
- Third Place Overall: Cole Pitts and Bert Hines, First National Bank
- Putting Contest Winner: Zach Giddens, Morris Bank
- Longest Drive: Stuart Smith, Synovus Bank
- Closest to the Pin: Josh Latina, Pacific Coast Bankers Bank
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First Place: Joel Foster and Walker Jordan
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Second Place: BJ Coody and Matt Fordham
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Third Place: Bert Hines and Cole Pitts
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Sponsors were: Banc Card of America; Bank of Dawson; Bank of Madison; Bank of Monticello; BEVYTEC; Burke Stelling Group, LLC; Cash Transactions, LLC; Coleman Talley LLP; CSRA Business Lending; CT Solutions; Farmers and Merchants Bank; Fenimore Kay Harrison LLP; FHLBank Atlanta; First Carolina Bank; First Chatham Bank; First National Bank; Georgia First Bank; Liberty Technology; Morris Bank; Oconee State Bank; Pinnacle Bank; Planters and Citizens Bank; Planters First Bank; Point to Point Environmental; PointeNorth Insurance; Steve H. Powell & Co.; SunMark Community Bank; Synovus Bank; The Citizens Bank of Georgia; The Piedmont Bank and Watchpoint Group.
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Government Relations and Early Voting in Focus This WeekIt’s been a busy week for GBA’s government relations team, our volunteers and our fellow Georgians participating in this election cycle. As mentioned in other articles, our President and CEO Tripp Cofield testified at the state House study committee looking at the effect of interchange fees on the sales tax portion of card transactions on businesses and consumers, and the BankPAC Golf Tournament was a resounding success. Gorgians are also flocking to the polls to vote in this year’s general election. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reports that 35,349 mail ballots and 585,344 early votes had been cast through Wednesday. So, which demographics are voting in the largest numbers so far?
- 46.8% are age 65 and over
- 54.5% are female
- 58.4% are white
- Of the state’s 14 congressional districts, the most votes have been cast in the 7th District, where Rep. Rich McCormick is running as the incumbent.
Georgia’s swing state status in the presidential election has all eyes on us, so let’s do our part and cast our votes. If you are interested in voting before Nov. 5, check out your options here. Aside from the races we are all familiar with, there are several ballot questions on two constitutional amendments and one statewide referendum. It may be helpful to learn about those before stepping into the voting booth. Read about those here. With questions, please call GBA’s Elizabeth Chandler at 404.372.7893.
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SBA Disaster Loan Funds Exhausted, Applicants Should Still ApplyThe SBA has announced that funds for its disaster loan program have been exhausted due to high demand following Hurricane Helene. While new loan offers are paused, the SBA is still encouraging individuals and small businesses to apply, as additional funding is expected from Congress when they re-convene in November. GBA will continue encouraging our delegation to support additional disaster funding and resources.
The application portal remains open, and the SBA will process applications to prepare eligible borrowers for loans once funds are replenished. Existing borrowers will continue receiving disbursements, and loan servicing actions remain available. Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster.
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Assessing Helene’s Impact on AgWe appreciated the opportunity to sit in on a storm recovery informational call hosted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce this week. GEMA director Chris Stallings gave an update on recovery efforts and ongoing needs. Housing is a major issue for those displaced by the storm, and he asked those on the call to contact GEMA if they have any housing resources such as personal short-term rentals or friends/family with such resources. Also participating was Lily Baucom, Executive Director of Georgia Foundation for Agriculture. She said the estimated economic impact on agriculture interests is $6.46 billion, and no sector was spared (see details). Her primary ask was to support/amplify fundraising for private assistance for farmers. Here’s how you can help:
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48th Annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week Starts Monday
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Spotlight on New GBA Associate MembersOver the next few weeks, we want to give a warm welcome to several new GBA Associate Members that we onboarded last quarter. They all offer diverse solutions for your bank and provide invaluable support to GBA programs through sponsorships, exhibits and shared expertise. Be sure to get to know these folks and thank them for supporting GBA. You can get information about any of GBA's Associate Members by using the Associate Member search function on our website. This week we want to highlight the following:
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Arkatechture provides data management and business intelligence services for banking institutions. Their data analytics platform, Arkalytics, combines a data warehouse, data lake, and fully managed services to transform your data strategy into actionable results. Arkalytics integrates data from key banking systems to centralize, manage, share, and analyze data.
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The Auxin team trains leadership to develop their people to drive organizational growth. Workforce development and leadership development are their expertise.
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BEVYTEC provides transparency and insights throughout the loan process by improving communication and efficiency for all stakeholders from application to closing. Management can make better decisions with better tools, including dashboard views of real-time data.
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Brown Insurance Group, an independent insurance agent in Vidalia, we make the process of finding the best insurance simple again. Because our agency is 100% independent, we have the freedom to shop the marketplace to find you the best possible combination of cost and coverage.
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Registration Open for 2025 Operations & Technology ConferenceJoin Georgia bank IT and operations professionals in Savannah, Feb 26-28 at The DeSoto. This annual event is hosted by GBA’s Operations & Technology Committee under the leadership of Chair, Mindy Green, Citizens Community Bank, Hahira and vice chair, Sam Drennen, First American Bank & Trust Company, Athens. Sessions will include:
- Dr. Genie Snyder, CSP is the conference keynote.
- Operational Efficiency, Jaye Eubanks, United Bank
- Harnessing AI for Strategic Focus in a Noisy Digital World, Nick Schuster, Cash Transactions, LLC
- Fraud Trends & Best Practices
- Panel Discussion, Vendor Management & Disaster Recovery
- Strategy Session and Motivational Talk on Leading Well, Trent Fleming.
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Recruit, Retain and Develop the Best Bankers with GBA Job BankHere's a reminder of a longstanding member benefit. GBA will post open positions, free of charge, for GBA members. See the open positions in Georgia here. We will also post professional summaries for bank-job seekers on our Bankers Available page. To make the process easy and answer any questions, we've developed this Q&A. Please contact Katina Weiss, 404.420.2021, with questions or needs.
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Financial Risk Management Conference - Nov 7-8Immediate Election Analysis in StoreAs we'll be gathering only a couple days after the elections, we'll be treated to a relatively real-time analysis of the outcomes - or at least what we know at that time - by nationally acclaimed political strategist John Ashford of the Hawthorn Group. Ashford has spoken several times at our annual Legislative and Economic Forum and always has an insightful, detailed and humorous read on the latest political environment. Planned by the GBA’s Asset/Liability Management Committee, there are many other valuable sessions on the agenda. Get all the details and register here.
We’d like to thank these Associate Members who are showing their support through sponsorship:
- Platinum Sponsors: Empyrean Solutions, New Frontier Analytics, and Profit Resources, Inc.
- Silver Sponsors: BOK Financial, Carr Riggs & Ingram CPAs and Advisors; FHLBank Atlanta; FHN Financial; ServisFirst Bank and Wiplfi LLP.
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Marketing Peer Group meeting coming up!Dig in to Data Analytics and Peer Networking Nov. 6GBA’s Marketing Committee is excited to host our next peer group meeting Nov. 6. The meeting will begin with a deep dive on data analytics with Hunter Young, president of the HIFI Agency. Young was a hit at last year’s Marketing Conference, and the committee wanted to bring him back for a more thorough how-to workshop for members. The afternoon will be dedicated to peer exchange with a roundtable discussion tackling all the latest marketing trends. Get all the detail and register here.
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Internal Audit Peer Group Meeting - Nov. 19 in MaconOur inaugural internal audit peer group meeting was a great success and you wanted more, so we are extending our next meeting to a full-day program. Register now for the next peer group meeting at Georgia Farm Bureau’s headquarters in Macon on Nov. 19. Event highlights include:
- Effectively Communicating Audit Results - Learn best practices for communicating audit findings to stakeholders and overcoming resistance.
- The Modernization of Internal Audit - Discover how to embrace data analytics, agile auditing, and fraud detection to modernize your audit processes.
- Roundtable Discussion - Participate in an interactive roundtable where industry challenges and trends will be discussed with peers and experts.
Get all the details and register here. With questions, contact Aimee Corcoran, 404.420.2035.
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Credit Conference - Dec. 5-6Economic Update with Roger TutterowAlways a conference favorite, Roger Tutterow, Ph.D., Henssler Financial Endowed Chair, Professor of Economics, Kennesaw State University will give his annual Economic Update just weeks after the presidential election. Join us as we finish out 2024 and look ahead to 2025 and beyond! Get all the details and register here. With questions, contact Alison Moreau, 404.420.2034.
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Enroll Now for Georgia Banking School April 27 - May 2The Georgia Banking School has developed generations of Georgia bank leaders who shape the industry in our state. The three-year school offers everything you want and expect from an investment in banker education, specifically preparing the next generation of bank leaders, building the pool of management-level talent in your bank, and connecting students to the most knowledgeable industry experts and a community of fellow bankers. The Georgia Banking School Board, led by Darron Burnette of Synovus Bank, has been hard at work reviewing the curriculum and planning next year’s session. Get details and enroll here.
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Master ComplianceNew Alumni Track Added for 2025 GBA Compliance SchoolRegistration for the 2025 GBA Compliance School on-campus session, April 27 - May 2 in Athens, is open! The big news is our Compliance School Board has added a new feature. Here’s the lineup:
- Year 1 – Basics
- Year 2 – Advanced
- New – Compliance Alumni Continued Education track (Compliance ACE) to refresh skills from any Year 1 and/or Year 2 classes, earn CE/CRCM credits and work toward a GBA Compliance Master’s certification.
The school is designed to give new and experienced compliance pros the tools necessary to build, monitor and maintain an effective compliance program. Get details and enroll here. With questions, contact Aimee Corcoran, 404.420.2035.
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Webinars - Great for Fundamentals TrainingEstablishing a Culture of Compliance, HMDA and Its Data Points, Managing All Aspects of Debit Cards and MoreHere’s a sampling of upcoming webinars.
Want to see the full webinar schedule? Check out our webinar calendar for a full list of upcoming webinars.
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GBA Community Connections
We like to share all the good work GBA member banks, bankers, Associate Members and Bank Counsel Section members do to support their communities. Here's our latest installment:
Columbus - Synovus
Synovus is donating $125,000 to the American Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Read more here.
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Dublin - Citizens Bank of Laurens County
The bank participated in the Dublin Laurens County Chamber of Commerce’s 23rd-Annual Membership Appreciation Day & Trade Show.
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SVP/Consumer Lender Bobbie Clemons and VP/Consumer Lender Linda Jones read to Pre-K students at Little Children Growing.
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Lake Oconee - Exchange Bank
The bank sponsored Lake Oconee Academy’s Tee for Titans Golf Tournament.
| |  | Milledgeville - Century Bank and Trust
The bank sponsored the 10th-Annual Golf Tournament at Harbor Club with all proceeds benefiting Circle of Love, an organization that offers a safe haven for victims of domestic violence.
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Perry - SunMark Community Bank
The bank’s September Casual for a Cause charity was Action for Kindness, which helps families and individuals with their basic needs. The bank collected diapers and wipes.
| |  | Swainsboro - Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co.
Bank team members volunteered at the Kite Church of God's mobile laundromat.
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Tifton - South Georgia Banking Company
On Oct. 4, the bank delivered donations to Georgia Power and Colquitt EMC to support the linemen restoring power in the recent hurricane. The bank contributed snacks and water enhancers.
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Atlanta - Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
To support recovery and relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene, FHLBank Atlanta is donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross and making up to $2 million available through its Community Rebuild and Restore Product to assist with the rehabilitation of homes damaged by the storm. Read more here.
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GBA Newsmakers
Check out these Georgia bankers making news this week:
Atlanta - Truist Bank
Georgia Region President Katie Saez has been named one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2024 Women of Influence Award winners.
Bainbridge - First Port City Bank
The bank held a community event celebrating its 50th anniversary. Read more here.
Chatsworth - First National Community Bank
Brad Ramsey has been promoted to market president, overseeing the bank’s Dalton, Chatsworth and Eton offices. He succeeds Gary Middleton, who was promoted to Chief Banking Officer in August. Read more here.
Jacksonville, FL - The Claxton Bank
The bank announced its expansion into North Florida with the opening of its executive office and bank branch at 1 Independent Drive in downtown Jacksonville. Read more here.
Rome - River City Bank
Mariom Lea has joined the bank as an accounting assistant in its Rome office.
Savannah - Great Oaks Bank
Brian Jackson has joined the bank’s Savannah team as senior vice president, commercial relationship manager. Read more here.
Washington - F&M Bank
The bank opened its new Deposit Operations Center next to its main branch in Washington.
Savannah - Small Business Assistance Corporation (SBAC)
SBAC has welcomed new voting board members: Jeffrey Heeder, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; Emily Kutcher, Fifth Third Bank; Dan Pavlin, Bernard Williams & Co, LLC. New Loan Committee Members include Matt Ambrosy, Great Oaks Bank; Ty Guyton, First Citizens Bank; Sarah Martin, Bank OZK; and Rachel White, Truist. Read more here.
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| Read All About It: Send Us Your News
Please remember to include the Georgia Bankers Association on the list of recipients for announcements about promotions, new employees and special recognition your bank has received. We want to share your news with your colleagues across the state. Please forward your announcements and photos to GBA's David Oliver and Katina Weiss.
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Calendar of Training and Events by subject/topic:
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