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Georgia General Assembly to Convene Jan. 13The Georgia General Assembly will kick off its 40-day session on Monday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m., marking the start of a new biennial cycle. GBA’s advocacy team is geared up for action, with a growing list of legislative items expected to emerge. Key topics include the annual Department of Banking and Finance housekeeping revisions, debanking, data privacy, artificial intelligence, premises liability, remote online notary, mortgage trigger leads and more.
To keep members informed, GBA has refreshed the State Issues page on our website. This resource will be updated frequently as new bills are introduced and progress through the legislative process. We encourage everyone to check it regularly for the latest developments.
In addition, the GBA Legislative Update will be published every Friday during the session, providing detailed insights into the week’s activities.
As the session begins, GBA’s advocacy team is ready to assist with any questions or provide information about the legislative process or elected representatives. Stay tuned and engaged as we navigate this important time for the banking industry and the broader business community in Georgia.
- Elizabeth Chander, executive vice president, government relations and advocacy: echandler@gabankers.com, 404.372.7893
- Bo Brannen, senior vice president, member services and advocacy: bbrannen@gabankers.com, 404.731.9886
- Steve Bridges, government relations consultant: sbridges@gabankers.com, 770.789.5605
- Tripp Cofield, president and CEO: tcofield@gabankers.com, 617.909.9530.
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Georgia House Study Committee on Interchange Releases Final ReportThe Georgia House Study Committee on Interchange released its final report late last week, highlighting its findings and recommendations. Chaired by Rep. Will Wade (R-Dawsonville), the study committee held two comprehensive meetings last year. GBA testified before the committee during the second meeting in October. The most significant finding was a call to increase vendor compensation, which was a recommendation from GBA and other financial industry stakeholders, rather than a legislative reduction of interchange fees on card transactions. Currently, in Georgia, vendors can retain 3% of the first $3,000 of collected sales tax and 0.5% on amounts over $3,000. The study committee recommends increasing this rate to 3% of the first $10,000 collected, and gradually increasing to 1.5% the compensation for amounts over $10,000 by 2030. This change aims to provide better financial support to vendors. Additionally, the committee report highlights the rising issue of transaction fraud and recommends studying and implementing best practices to prevent card transaction fraud, emphasizing the need for collaboration between the General Assembly, law enforcement, and industry experts. See the full report.
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Georgia Delegation Members Appointed to Key Congressional CommitteesGeorgia will be well represented on the two major committees in the U.S. House and Senate affecting our industry during the 119th Congress. Members of our delegation appointed to serve on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee are Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA11), David Scott, (D-GA13) and Nikema Williams (D-GA5). Sen. Raphael Warnock will again serve on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. GBA’s advocacy team maintains a good relationship with each member and their staff.
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Estimated Economic Assistance Payment AmountsIncluded in the year-end appropriations bill passed by Congress in December to continue funding the federal government was a one-year farm bill extension along with $31 billion in disaster aid and economic assistance for farmers. The American Farm Bureau recently released a report with details on these programs, including estimated economic assistance payments that should begin going out in less than 90 days. These estimated payments were a major topic of discussion at the GBA Ag Committee meeting on Wednesday, and we encourage any member bank with agriculture loans in their portfolio to take a look at the report. Access the report here.
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Attention attorneys!Status of Important Cases for January 2025The latest ABA Newsbytes Banking Docket is now available. Click here for the details of the status of important cases. Each article contains a “Read more” link with access to additional details on the issues, case summaries and links to related documents.
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Ag Committee Covers Major Themes for 2025Chairman Jake Cleghorn of Altamaha Bank and Trust and Vice Chair Lee Lister of Great Oaks Bank led a GBA Agriculture Committee meeting Wednesday to talk about conditions around the state for banks serving Georgia’s number one industry. Key discussions included the impact of recent hurricanes on the full spectrum of important crops and agribusiness interests. For most members, a majority of 2024 loans look to be in relatively good shape. However, committee members shared concerns about diminished yields, delayed disaster assistance and the challenges of underwriting loans in 2025. Positive updates included resilience among younger farmers and specific crops in some markets such as non-GMO corn, onions and beef cattle. The committee got a good start on setting the program for the conference, which will be May 12-13, 2025, at the King and Prince on St. Simons Island. Look for details and registration to open soon. We also welcomed new members to the committee: Robert Duvall, Bank of Madison; John Hylton, Pinnacle Bank; James Mock, South Georgia Banking Company; and Jake Walters, Planters First Bank. With questions, contact Alison Moreau.
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Featured Speakers Announced for Jan. 29 Legislative ForumWe’re excited that Kevin Hagler, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, will kick off our 2025 Legislative Forum Jan. 29 at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta. Dr. Robert Buschman, state economist, from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, will also be a featured speaker for the afternoon. Stay tuned for announcements about other special legislative guests as they confirm participation. Join the growing crowd -- reserve your spot for the Forum and the Legislative Reception. The reception immediately follows the Forum and is held to honor members of the General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, members of the Judiciary and other dignitaries. Be sure to register by Jan. 15 to take advantage of the early registration fee. Our room block at the Ritz is sold out at this time. If you need accommodations, click here for a list of suggested nearby hotels. A hearty thanks to our event sponsors: Presenting Sponsor: FHLBank Atlanta; Platinum Sponsor: BDS Yarmouth & Choate; Silver Sponsors: Elliott Davis, Point to Point Environmental, and ServisFirst Bank. Contact GBA’s Kathy Friestad with questions.
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Commissioner Kevin Hagler
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State Economist Dr. Robert Buschman
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New Breakout SessionsStrengthen Your Bank’s Defense at Bank Security ConferenceMark your calendars for April 7-9 and join us at The Westin Jekyll Island for the premier learning event for bank security professionals. The 2025 GBA Bank Security Conference offers tailored programming to equip attendees with the tools, knowledge, and connections necessary to tackle the evolving challenges in bank security.
New this year, the conference will feature breakout sessions for physical and cybersecurity professionals, allowing you to focus on the topics most relevant to your role. Key sessions will provide actionable insights on emerging tech trends, fraud prevention strategies and best practices for ATM security.
The agenda is designed to enhance your skills, deliver exclusive industry intel, and offer targeted learning opportunities through workshops. Attendees will also enjoy networking sessions with peers and experts to share ideas and strengthen their professional networks.
This must-attend event is ideal for bank security officers, cybersecurity professionals, and any bank staff involved in security responsibilities. Learn more and register here.
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More Events and Training Opportunities Coming up
Save the date for the following events, which will open for registration soon:
- Rural Development & Lending Conference, May 12-13 at the King & Prince, St. Simons
- Annual Meeting, June 13-15 at the Omni Boston Hotel at Seaport
- Leadership Conference, July 14-16 at the Omni Amelia Island
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| Calendar of Training and Events by subject/topic:
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Webinars - Great for Fundamentals TrainingROVs, ACH Rules Update, B2B Payment Trends, 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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Partners, Products & Associate Members
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2025 Bank Director Compensation & Governance Practices Survey Opens MondayOn Jan. 13, GBA Partner Pearl Meyer will launch the 2025 Bank Director Compensation & Governance Practices Survey. We want to make sure that your institution has the opportunity to participate in this biennial survey that provides the most relevant information available on Board of Directors’ compensation and governance practices. Specific data that will be collected includes:
- Compensation (including Board Retainers and Meeting Fees)
- Committee Compensation (including Chair Premiums)
- Board and Committee Composition and Structure
- Equity Practices
- Benefits Practices
- Governance Practices
- Other Operational Practices (including Board Evaluation, Education, Strategic Planning, and Succession Planning).
The participant price is $695, and the non-participant price is $1,495. If you are interested in participating, would like to know more about the survey, or have any questions, please email Rhonda Snyder at rhonda.snyder@pearlmeyer.com.
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GBA Partner NContractsFree Webinar Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. - 2025 Lending Compliance OutlookNo bank is immune from fair lending enforcement. Over the past few months, banks and other financial institutions have paid millions to settle redlining accusations and other fair lending violations. What steps should your bank take to guard against redlining? What impact will the 1071 implementation have? Find out as the team from GBA Partner Ncontracts digs into lending compliance for 2025 with insights and tips covering topics like:
- Hot-button regulatory issues
- Preparing a lending compliance management program for 2025
- What to look for in HMDA and 1071 data
- Best practices for staffing, marketing, pricing, products, processing and underwriting .
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Explore What Choice in Debit Looks Like with GBA Partner Discover DebitA robust debit card portfolio can help you generate more revenue right now. Has your bank’s debit card program been on autopilot for too long? VISA and MasterCard will likely fight to keep your business, but Discover Debit wants to invest in your bank, your customers and your community. Recently-introduced cardholder benefits like credit monitoring and dark web monitoring backed by Experian® mean customers can feel more secure with their new debit card. By implementing Discover’s debit card program, you will also realize an immediate impact on your interchange income and expense. Discover® Debit is the only program that delivers superior economics, simplified rules, fee transparency and unmatched program flexibility. To find out more, contact Brian Harbin, brianharbin@discover.com, 678.325.9910.
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Compliance Alliance Question of the Week and Did You Know
Question: What are some differences between a revocable and an irrevocable trust?
Answer: As trust laws (and the governing documents themselves) tend to be very nuanced and vary from state to state, the following is intended only to be a non-exhaustive, high-level view of some of the basic distinctions between a revocable and irrevocable trust.
Revocable trusts, broadly, are legal instruments/entities that can be amended, altered, or terminated (revoked) during the life of the trust, subject to the wishes of the grantor of the trust. The beneficiaries of these trusts will most often be the grantors themselves, along with immediate family members or descendants (i.e., spouses, children, grandchildren, etc.). They are often called “living” trusts or “inter vivos”, as they exist during the lifetime of the grantor.
Irrevocable trusts, on the other hand (and as their name suggests), are generally much more “set in stone.” The grantor cannot modify, change, or terminate the trust or its terms after creation. This is not exactly an absolute rule, as an irrevocable trust can, in many cases, be amended, but generally, this can only be done via court order; moreover, this can usually only be done if all parties (the settlor, trustee, and beneficiaries) agree on the modification if some of the parties (i.e. all of the beneficiaries but not the settlor, or even some of the beneficiaries and the settlor) agree. It can also be done circumstantially – that is, if the nature/purpose of the trust has changed/been undermined or if the trust is no longer fiscally feasible. Lastly, you may see in a trust a clause called the “power of appointment” – a contingency granted to the settlor or trustee to change the trust (in likely very limited ways) per the terms of the trust – most often to select/add new trustees. These are frequently “testamentary” trusts, meaning they are created via the Will of the settlor and triggered upon their death.
Did You Know?
Did you know that the settings in your loan and deposit software should match the settings in your core?
- It is important that items such as fees and interest methods on disclosures match the fees and calculations your core is performing.
- After a core conversion, ensuring that your new system still matches the disclosures you are giving your customers is especially important.
Live Demo Signups for Compliance Alliance:
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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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|  | Athens - Classic City Bank
The bank donated $2,500 to Athens Community Career Academy, which has been using the Georgia Peach Education Tax Credit to raise funds for its Biotechnology Healthcare Pathways.
| |  | Perry - SunMark Community Bank
The bank partnered with Houston County Toys for Tots for its December casual for a cause donation drive.
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Newsmakers
Check out these Georgia bankers making news this week:
Atlanta - Ameris Bank
The bank was named to Forbes' inaugural list of America’s Best Companies 2025. Read more.
Columbus - Synovus
Jim Vaughn has joined the bank as its Chattanooga, TN, market executive. Read more. The bank named Walt Deriso CEO and Hamilton Hilsman president of The Family Office. Rachel Cook has been promoted to retail market leader for multiple branches in North Atlanta. Kathleah Jacobs has been promoted to retail market manager at the bank’s Westside Parkway branch in Alpharetta.
Fitzgerald - Colony Bank
Ed Canup has been promoted to EVP/chief banking officer. Daniel Rentz has been promoted to EVP/chief information officer. Laurie Senn has been promoted to EVP/chief administrative officer. Read more.
Irwinton - Apex Banking Company of Georgia
Carder Peck was promoted to AVP/deposit operations manager responsible for the bank’s deposit operations, including mobile and online banking platforms. Jenny Aguilar was promoted to AVP/loan operations manager and oversees the bank’s loan operations and processing functions.
Metter - Durden Banking Company, Inc.
Gail Curl, senior vice president, city president and loan officer, retired Dec. 31. Luke Lanier was promoted to city president and will oversee all bank operations in the Candler County market. Also retired effective Dec. 31 was Angie Powell, who served as head teller. Sara Cate Fordham was promoted to the head teller position. Sara Mendoza was promoted to loan officer and assistant city president.
Milledgeville - Exchange Bank
Kayla Avant has joined Exchange Investment Services, Inc. as a sales assistant and insurance agent. Read more.
Swainsboro - Durden Banking Company, Inc.
Judy Price, vice president, city president and loan officer, retired Dec. 31. Jimmy May was promoted to vice president and city president and will oversee bank operations in the Swainsboro market. Zach Proctor was promoted to assistant city president.
Raleigh, NC - First Carolina Bank
Gregg Ferrell has been appointed to the newly created position of president – real estate banking. Read more.
Rome - River City Bank
Rhonda Wallace has been promoted to senior vice president, commercial relationship manager. Katie Mashburn has been promoted to vice president, director of human resources. Austin Pattee has been promoted to assistant branch manager. Read more. Dan West has joined the bank as senior vice president, commercial relationship manager. Read more.
Swainsboro - The Citizens Bank of Swainsboro
Gary Johnson, executive vice president and chief lending officer, retired from the bank after a 47-year banking career.
Thomasville - The First Bank
Jamie Lawrence has been promoted to market president for the Thomasville area. Read more.
Valdosta - Citizens Community Bank
Bill Hatfield has joined the bank as a commercial loan officer. Read more.
Atlanta - Troutman Pepper Locke
Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord have officially merged to form Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. Read more.
Atlanta - Georgia Bankers Association
Tessa Nolan has been promoted to SVP, chief financial officer for the association, in addition to continuing in her current role as CFO for GBA Insurance Trust. Learn more about Tessa in her GBA Staff Profile from when she joined the association in 2022. Cameron Sapp has joined the GBA team as accounting and operations administrator.
Washington, D.C. - American Bankers Association
The association is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025. Read more. Tim Pannell has joined the association as vice president of partner network and member engagement. Pannell is one of the founders of GBA Strategic Partner Financial Marketing Solutions.
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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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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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