THIS MONTH

We look forward to hosting our members at this month's GBA events!

• Call Report Seminar - Feb. 3, Middle Georgia State University, Macon

• IRA Academy - Feb. 3-5, Middle Georgia State University, Macon

• Georgia BankPAC Sporting Clays Tournament - Feb. 5, Old Hudson Plantation, Sparta

• Business Cash Flow Analysis Seminar - North - Feb. 24, Cherokee Conference Center at The Bluffs, Canton

• Breaking into Banking 101: Fundamentals of Commercial Lending - Feb. 25, Zoom Webinar

• Operations and Technology Conference - Feb. 25-27, The DeSoto, Savannah

SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOLS

Invest in Future Leaders Through GBA’s 2026 Flagship Schools

Developing the next generation of banking leaders remains one of the most important investments a bank can make. As banks plan for 2026, GBA is encouraging member institutions to ensure their teams are represented at the 2026 Georgia Banking School and/or 2026 GBA Compliance School, set for April 26 - May 1 at University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel in Athens.

These flagship programs bring bankers from across Georgia together for a week of intensive learning, collaboration and professional growth, equipping participants with the skills and perspective needed to strengthen their institutions and advance Georgia’s banking industry. Banks that have not participated recently, as well as those new to GBA schools, are encouraged to identify high-potential employees and support their enrollment for 2026.

• Georgia Banking School:
  Designed for emerging and experienced bankers alike, Georgia Banking School offers a comprehensive curriculum focused on leadership development, financial management and strategic thinking.
  (First-year students who enroll by Friday, Feb. 27, will receive $100 off tuition!)
  Learn more and enroll.

• GBA Compliance School:
  GBA Compliance School provides in-depth regulatory education and practical guidance to help compliance professionals navigate an increasingly complex environment. Year 1, Year 2 and an alumni-only ACE Track are available.
  Learn more and enroll.

ASSET/LIABILITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Michael Gordon, CPA, and Nicole Cunningham, CPA

Call Report Seminar - Feb. 3, Middle Georgia State University, Macon

Stay confident, accurate and audit-ready by attending GBA’s next Call Report Seminar. Designed for today’s banking professionals, this in-depth program delivers practical guidance to strengthen your Call Report preparation and review process. Join your peers for a detailed, line-by-line review of commonly completed Call Report schedules, with expert tips for accurately reporting individual items. Led by industry-respected professionals from Mauldin & Jenkins, Michael Gordon, CPA, partner, and Nicole Cunningham, CPA, partner, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how schedules connect, how to spot inconsistencies and how to avoid the most common and costly reporting errors. This seminar is ideal for CFOs, controllers, operations officers and anyone responsible for Call Report preparation or review.

COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS

Compliance Peer Group Meeting - March 11, Methodist Home for Children & Youth, Macon

Registration is now open for the GBA Compliance Peer Group Meeting on March 11 at the Methodist Home for Children & Youth in Macon. This highly interactive, banker-led session brings together compliance professionals from across Georgia for candid, peer-to-peer discussions on current compliance challenges, emerging regulatory concerns, and practical solutions being implemented in banks today. Moderated by Beth Hamilton, GBA’s Compliance Committee Chair and VP, compliance officer at First National Bank, Bainbridge, the meeting is entirely peer-driven, with participants submitting hot topics during registration to help shape the conversation. Designed for bank compliance officers, compliance personnel, and anyone with compliance responsibilities, this meeting offers practical insights, best practices and valuable networking opportunities.

FUNDAMENTALS PROGRAMS

Banking Foundations - Virtual Training

If you have team members who are new to banking or just entering the workforce, we have a host of good online training resources to help get them up to speed. There are more than 100 Banking Foundations courses and nine certificate programs available for: 

• Tellers
• Branch Managers
• Universal Bankers and Customer Service Representatives
• Small Business Bankers
• Early Career Lenders and many others. 

Check out the full Banking Foundations catalog here, which includes information about signing up. These ABA resources are available for all GBA members.

HR & MARKETING PROGRAMS

Marketing Conference & Customer Insights Workshop - March 25-27, The DeSoto, Savannah

Georgia’s premier in-person event for bank marketing professionals is back March 25-27 at the DeSoto Savannah. The GBA Marketing Committee led by chair Emily Doherty, Great Oaks Bank, Richmond Hill, and vice chair Beth James, Queensborough National Bank & Trust Co., Augusta, has been hard at work planning the agenda with topics you need in today's environment. Designed exclusively for Georgia’s bank marketing leaders and rising professionals, this program delivers the perfect blend of strategy, creativity, data-driven insights and peer collaboration. Attendees have the option to register for the pre-conference workshop, the traditional conference or both.

• Customer Insights Workshop – Pre-conference session with real bank customers moderated by Sean Hockenbery, Financial Marketing Solutions. Learn what attracts and retains your customers and how to form effective focus groups.
• Marketing Conference – Packed with sessions on social media, creative strategies, culture, leadership and peer sharing.

Sign up today to connect, learn and grow with fellow bank marketing professionals.

GBA member banks, Strategic Partners and Associate Members are invited to sponsor this event. Learn more.

HR Professionals Institute - March 25-27, The DeSoto, Savannah

Join us for the 2026 HR Professionals Institute, GBA’s premier learning and networking event for bank HR leaders. We’ll be at The DeSoto in Savannah for three days of timely insights, practical tools, and peer-to-peer engagement. Planned by the GBA HR Committee under the leadership of chair Jessie Ledford, Rabun County Bank, Clayton, and vice chair Shea Zeigler, WB&T Bankshares, Inc., Valdosta, this year’s program features sessions on talent development, compensation and benefits, legal and regulatory updates, cultural leadership and the future of HR with AI. This is the perfect opportunity to elevate your HR skills and expand your professional network.

GBA member banks, Strategic Partners and Associate Members are invited to sponsor this event. Thank you to our Silver Sponsor already confirmed: Troutman Pepper Locke!

LENDING, CREDIT AND UNDERWRITING PROGRAMS

Peter Faser

Business Cash Flow Analysis Seminar - Feb. 24, Cherokee Conference Center at The Bluffs, Canton

Boost your lending confidence with this hands-on seminar designed to sharpen your cash flow analysis skills and enhance your lending performance. Led by Peter Faser, Business Strategy Advisor with The Profitability Coach and faculty member of the Georgia Banking School, this full-day program gives you practical tools to assess business repayment capacity and make more confident credit decisions. Through a mix of lecture and interactive casework, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify key financial trends and cash flow drivers
• Analyze operating cycles and business performance
• Apply a four-step process to evaluate loan requests effectively.

Whether you’re a small business lender, commercial lender or credit analyst, you’ll leave with actionable insights to strengthen your underwriting and credit analysis.

Video introduction from presenter Andy Keusal

Virtual Commercial Lending Courses to Build Better Commercial Bankers - Feb. 25 & March 25

OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

Operations and Technology Conference - Feb. 25-27,
The DeSoto, Savannah

There's still time to join Georgia bank IT and operations professionals in Savannah for the next GBA Operations & Technology Conference. This annual event is hosted by GBA’s Operations & Technology Committee. The deadline to book your room at the DeSoto with GBA's special group rate is Tuesday, Feb. 3!

Sessions will include: 

• Navigate, Elevate, Accelerate: Leading Growth & Change – Dr. Melissa Furman, MS, DBA, President & Founder, Career Potential, LLC
• Project Management, Change Management and Employee Change Management – Brett Rawls, PRI
• Protecting Banks and Their Customers from Telecom Focused Threats – Scott Helms, Momentum
• Next Steps in the M365 AI Chain – Eric Delgado, SafeSystems
• Fraud Trends & Best Practices
• Leadership and Workforce Development – John Brantley, The Auxin Leader
• Roundtable Discussion.

A huge thank you to our sponsors:

• Platinum Sponsors: Profit Resources, Inc., and BankOnITUSA, a UFS Company
• Gold Sponsor: Advantage, powered by JMFA
• Silver Sponsor: ICI Consulting.

RETAIL PROGRAMS

Loni Porta

IRA Academy - Feb. 3-5, Middle Georgia State University, Macon

Your roadmap to IRA mastery is here! The GBA IRA Academy delivers three stand-alone, workshop-style days—attend one, two or all three depending on your training needs.

• Day 1: IRA Basics – Build a solid foundation in IRA setup, contributions, distributions, transfers & rollovers.
• Day 2: Advanced IRAs – Dive into inherited IRAs, conversions, recharacterizations & qualified charitable distributions.
• Day 3: Ops, Admin & Reporting – Focus on compliance, reporting, error correction & transaction accuracy.

Pick the days you need or maximize your learning by attending all three. This event will be led by Loni Porta, director of education, Convergent Retirement Plan Solutions.

SECURITY PROGRAMS

Bank Security Conference - April 13-15, The Westin Jekyll Island. 

Registration is now open for this annual conference designed specifically for Georgia bank security professionals. This premier in-person event will focus on strategic innovations in bank security, delivering timely education on today’s most pressing security challenges. Attendees can expect a comprehensive program covering robbery prevention, emerging technology trends, fraud mitigation strategies and ATM security, along with exclusive insights from industry experts. The conference also features a Bank Security Workshop, offering a deep dive into current physical security trends and hot topics, as well as valuable networking opportunities to connect with peers and share ideas. 

WEBINARS & MORE

Webinars from National Experts on OnCourse Learning

Save 10-30% with a subscription package - details here!

See the full calendar of upcoming and OnDemand webinars here. 

Facilitated Online Courses

Virtual learning with an instructor and peer interaction, weekly assignments and deadlines. Categories including Retail, Compliance, Executive Management and more. Learn more about instructor-facilitated online courses here. (click "member" status) 

Self-Paced Online Courses

More than 200 courses in all the key banking skills. See a list of all the self-paced courses we have to offer here. (click "member" status)

ABA Certificates

Certificates build the skills necessary for a specific position in the bank and can be taken entirely online as a certificate curriculum. The programs are continually reevaluated and refined to reflect the current needs of bankers in their jobs today and changes in the industry. There are multiple certificates available in each of the categories below.

• Business Banking & Commercial Lending
• Compliance & Risk Management
• Mortgage Lending
• Retail Banking & Marketing
• Wealth Management & Trust
• Executive Education

See all available certificates here. (click "member" status)

Calendar of Training and Events by subject/topic:

Compliance | Lending | Ops/Tech | Human Resources | Asset/Liability Management | Security