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Georgia Bankers Represented in WashingtonThis week, GBA Chairman Brad Barber, First National Bank, Bainbridge, and a delegation of Georgia bankers traveled to Washington, D.C., for our annual advocacy visit. The group met with Georgia’s Congressional delegation and key federal regulators to share insights from the front lines of community banking. Look for a full debrief of all of the meetings in next week's edition.
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Bowman’s Fed Nomination AdvancesWe were pleased with the news Tuesday that the Senate Banking Committee advanced the nomination of Fed. Gov. Michelle Bowman to be vice chair for supervision. The nomination now heads to the full Senate for consideration. During her April confirmation hearing, Bowman said that, if confirmed by the Senate, her top priorities would include refocusing the Federal Reserve’s approach to bank supervision and reinstating a more tailored regulatory framework.
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Banking and Compliance Schools Wrap Up a Dynamic Week in AthensLast week, bankers from across the state and region were joined by their families and colleagues to celebrate a significant professional milestone: graduation from the 2025 Georgia Banking School or the GBA Compliance School. The graduation ceremonies were held May 2 at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel in Athens.
Georgia Banking School: Honoring Dedication and Leadership
Fifty bankers completed the rigorous three-year Georgia Banking School program this year. The curriculum, delivered by UGA faculty, veteran bankers and subject-matter experts, blends leadership training with foundational banking knowledge.
- Graduate of Distinction: Sarah Clark, United National Bank, Cairo.
- Honors Graduates: Garrett Clements, Classic City Bank, Athens; Dan Lucke, AgCredit, ACA, Fostoria, Ohio; Katy McCarthy, United Bank, Griffin; Mark Northcutt, Guardian Bank, Valdosta; Christina Smith, First National Community Bank, Chatsworth; Joey Stith, Guardian Bank, Valdosta; Donna Ward, Flint Community Bank, Albany.
- Winning Bank Exec Team, Community A: David DeSantiago, The Citizens National Bank of Quitman; Craig McKee, Pinnacle Bank, Elberton; Mark Northcutt, Guardian Bank, Valdosta; Laura Poyner, Exchange Bank, Greensboro; and Melissa Riiska, Synovus Bank, Atlanta.
- Winning Bank Exec Team, Community B: Jamie Langham, Planters First Bank, Macon; Jake Mobley, Commercial Banking Company, Moultrie; Mindy Ogle, United Bank, Zebulon; Joey Stith, Guardian Bank, Valdosta; and Caleb Warren, United National Bank, Cairo.
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GBA Compliance School: Building Compliance Excellence
Thirteen graduates completed intensive five-day resident sessions for two years in a row, with a curriculum covering foundational concepts in the first year and more advanced, management-level topics in the second. Instruction was led by nationally recognized compliance consultants and experienced Georgia compliance professionals.
- Winning Case Study Presentation Team: Kristin Busby, Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company, Louisville; Sharon Courtney, Enterprise Bank of SC, Ehrhardt, SC; April Little, Bank of Dudley, Dublin; Sarah Paul, Magnolia State Bank, Eastman; and Michelle Smith, North Georgia National Bank, Calhoun.
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|  | Winning Case Study Presentation Team
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Mark your calendars for the 2026 school session, set for April 26 through May 1 back on the UGA campus!
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GBA Member ProfileBanking by Feel and Breaking Stereotypes with Bobby KrimmelBobby Krimmel’s banking career took shape in the crucible of the 2008 financial crisis, when he found himself building ALCO reports and making critical decisions under immense pressure. That formative experience not only sharpened his financial instincts but solidified his commitment to the industry. "I learned more during that two-year time period than any other time in my life," he said. Now at the helm of Touchmark National Bank, Krimmel brings a sharp, steady hand to leadership—and a personality that breaks the mold. Outside the office, he's a punk rock fan who skateboards in his free time, proving that not all bankers wear suits on the weekend. Read his full profile here.
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Strong Start for New Ops & Tech Peer Group
GBA’s new Operations & Technology Peer Group launched successfully this week with its first meeting in Macon. Facilitated by Operations & Technology Committee Member Dana White of AB&T, the session brought together professionals from across Georgia to tackle timely industry topics, share insights and build valuable peer connections.
A big thank you to Liberty Technology for sponsoring the event. If you missed it, stay tuned—more opportunities to join this group are on the way.
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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 these new Associate Members:
Atlantic Community Bankers Bank
Joseph Krzywicki, jkrzywicki@acbb.com
Camp Hill, PA
www.acbb.com
Attracting, retaining and growing clients is driven by ideas, solutions and support. ACBB is ideally positioned to support community financial institutions through a broad, integrated suite of lending, payments and risk and compliance solutions.
BDO
Rick Kawecki, rkawecki@bdo.com
Atlanta
www.bdo.com
BDO specializes in providing middle market business leaders with insight-driven perspectives and assurance, tax and advisory services, helping companies take business as usual to better than usual.
Brown & Brown Risk Solutions
Connor Moore, Connor.Moore@bbrown.com
Sandy Springs
www.bbrown.com/us/risk-solutions
Brown & Brown Risk Solutions helps large community, mid-sized and regional financial institutions identify, quantify and mitigate their risks to ultimately reduce their cost of risk while minimizing the probability of exceeding their risk appetite.
Dolphin Debit Access
Joe Woods, jwoods@dolphindebit.com
Spring, TX
www.dolphindebit.com
Dolphin Debit Access provides financial institutions with a more efficient alternative to in-house ATM management. They provide complete, worry-free ATM network services covering every aspect of ATM management, from site prep and equipment procurement to system updates and cash management.
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Women in Banking Conference - Aug. 14-15 at Chateau ElanFireside Chat to Tackle Georgia’s Regulatory Outlook Plans are coming together for this year’s Women in Banking Conference. We’re excited to announce this year’s kick-off session will be a fireside chat with GBA’s Elizabeth Chandler, EVP of Government Relations and Advocacy, and Melissa Sneed, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. Don’t miss this informative session, which will include a discussion about Georgia’s current banking environment and regulatory climate and how your bank may be impacted.
We’re also thrilled to announce the incoming leadership of the GBA Women in Banking Committee, effective July 1: Gayle Woolard, AB&T, Albany, will serve as chair; Chelsea Coclough, First American Bank & Trust, Athens, will serve as vice chair. A special thanks to Jessi Englert, TIBB, who is ending her year as committee chair!
A huge shoutout to these event sponsors:
- Presenting Sponsor: CRS Data
- Diamond Sponsor: Profit Resources, Inc. (PRI)
- Gold Sponsor: McNair, McLemore, Middlebrooks & Co., LLC
- Silver Sponsors: Carr, Riggs, Ingram, LLC; FHLBank Atlanta; ServisFirst Bank; Troutman Pepper Locke, LLP; and Wipfli.
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Exclusive AI Program – June 26Leveraging Generative AI Tools You Can Actually Use in a Noisy Digital WorldIn today’s fast-paced digital world, banks must stay ahead of evolving technologies to thrive. Join us on June 26 at Middle Georgia State University for Prime, Prompt, Perform: Leveraging Generative AI Tools You Can Actually Use.
This one-day workshop, led by industry expert Nick Schuster, CashTrans, will provide leaders throughout the bank with actionable AI strategies to enhance operational efficiency, prevent fraud and drive strategic success. Through real-world examples and hands-on activities, you’ll learn how to implement AI tools such as custom GPTs and AI notebooks to sharpen your organization’s competitive edge. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain the knowledge and confidence to navigate the AI-driven future of banking.
Who should attend? This has applications for all areas of the bank, not just IT pros.
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More Events and Training Opportunities Coming up
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Webinars - Great for Fundamentals TrainingBest-Ever Compliance Checklists, Commercial Lending Training and MoreHere’s a sampling of upcoming webinars.
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Partners, Products & Associate Members
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GBA’s Online Bank Record Retention Guide Can Help You Declutter Old RecordsGBA is proud to offer members the Online Guide to Bank Record Retention, featuring Bank Record Retention Quick Notes©, by Carl Pry. It is designed to be a fast and easy-to-use reference for the most common types of customer records questions in a completely online format. Please note we do not have printed copies available for purchase. This guide is intended to help develop a simple, yet complete and understandable record retention program for your bank.
The Quick Notes© refer to federal or general industry practices in six broad topic areas: General; Deposits and Operations; Loans; Securities; Human Resources; and Tax. They also contain the available requirements of FinCEN, CFPB, OCC, NACHA, IRS, SEC, FDIC, FRB and other relevant state agencies. Please contact GBA’s Bo Brannen at bbrannen@gabankers.com, to place an order.
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Participate in the Georgia Banking Compensation Survey Before May 23Now open for participation, this annual survey provides valuable insights to help banks enhance their compensation and HR strategies. Access detailed data on salaries, incentives, turnover and more to stay competitive in today’s market. Bank data is due by May 23, and results will be released the week of Aug. 11. Pricing is $650 for participants and $1,495 for non-participants. Don’t miss this opportunity to make informed, strategic decisions for your bank. To participate, contact Rhonda Snyder at rhonda.snyder@pearlmeyer.com.
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GBA Partner Banc Card of America Offers the Best Local Support for Any Type of MerchantGBA Partner Banc Card of America (www.banccard.com) offers valuable services to retailers, restaurants, hotels, B2B, In-home and online merchants, allowing them to accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club) and on-line and off-line debit cards. Best of all, one of their seven in-state, local representatives is never more than a short drive away from your bank or your merchant customers. Contact Jim Staples with Banc Card to find out how they can help, 770.314.3505, jstaples@banccard.com.
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GBA Partner Shred-ItMaximize Security with a Shred-it-All Policy: Eight Key BenefitsBanks should establish and enforce specific, actionable and easy-to-follow data protection policies for their workforce as part of a comprehensive data protection strategy. A shred-it-all policy encourages the regular destruction of all documents. Employees should consider if there are any requirements to retain the document (following internal policy or other legal requirements) and, if not, then immediately and securely dispose of it. GBA Partner Shred-It has provided eight benefits a Shred-it-All Policy can provide. To setup or inquire about Shred-it service, please fill out the contact form. GBA members get up to 35% off regularly scheduled document and hardware destruction services.
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Compliance Alliance Question of The Week
Queston: I’ve heard that other banks are beginning to refer to their BSA / AML programs, policies and procedures as “AML / CFT.” Is this a mandatory change and something that our bank should do as well?
Answer: Many banks are now beginning to use the term "Anti-Money Laundering / Countering the Financing of Terrorism" (AML/CFT) instead of “BSA/AML” to align (and for purposes of consistency) with the AML Act. This is generally indicative of an overall initiative to have financial institutions update / enhance their existing BSA policies and programs to incorporate the AML Act and its associated processes to support more effective mitigation of risks connected with money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Continue reading…
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Georgia's Banking Community
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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:
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Milledgeville - Exchange Bank
The bank recently collected donations for Sight Restored’s annual food drive.
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Gray - Exchange BankThe bank awarded a $1,500 scholarship to Lizzie Merritt, a graduating senior at Jones County High School, as part of the bank’s annual scholarship program. Read more.
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Savannah - Great Oaks BankBank team members taught over 600 Georgia elementary school students the importance of saving money as part of the Teach Children to Save program. Read more.
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Newsmakers
Check out our member banks and bankers making news this week.
Albany - AB&T
Longtime Southwest Georgia community banker Jimmy Wilson joined the bank team on May 7 as a commercial banker. Read more.
Columbus - Synovus Bank
Our sympathies to the family, friends and former colleagues of retired Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tommy Prescott, who recently passed away. Read more.
Eastman - Great Oaks Bank
Kathy Purvis has joined the bank as a loan officer. Read more.
Greensboro - BankSouth
Chief Operating Officer David Cowles is retiring after more than two decades of leadership and service to the bank. He will officially step away from his full-time role in May 2025, though he will continue to serve in a part-time consulting capacity. Read more.
Tupelo, MS - Renasant Bank
Kevin Chapman has assumed the role of president and CEO of Renasant Corp. and its subsidiary, Renasant Bank. He replaces CEO C. Mitchell Waycaster, who will continue as executive vice chairman for the company and the bank.
Savannah - Queensborough National Bank & Trust
Brian Dart has been promoted to senior vice president, coastal regional manager. Read more.
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| Read All About It: Send Us Your News
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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Recruit, Retain and Develop the Best Bankers with GBA Job BankGBA 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. Contact Katina Weiss, 404.420.2021, with questions or needs.
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