Our longstanding committee of bankers from throughout Georgia specializing in agribusiness banking got together this week to discuss a variety of key issues and plan the annual GBA Rural Development and Lending Conference set for May 16-17 at the King and Prince Hotel, St. Simons. "This particular GBA committee has been in existence for more than 100 years and it has allowed bankers throughout all those years to consistently work together to share best practices, coordinate advocacy efforts for the industry and propagate ideas for supporting Georgia’s number-one industry. In the past year, the bankers on the committee have been particularly active in taking the lead on industry relief efforts for Hurricane Michael and an educational tour of major agribusinesses in South Georgia," said GBA Chairman John Hall, American Pride Bank, Macon, who attended the meeting. "If something needs to be done related to how banking works in the ag sector, this is the group that gets it done." Todd Harrell, United National Bank, Cairo, chairs the committee, and Danny Minick, The Citizens Bank of Americus, is vice chair. "The information sharing as part of this committee is just so important," Harrell said at the meeting in addressing his peers. "After the storm, I had customers coming into the bank with their heads between their legs. But I was able to be positive with them and support them because I was armed with the information about all the things we bankers were doing through GBA to find ways to get help for those customers." Look for details soon about the conference program and speakers.

Beginning Thursday, Farm Services Agency offices re-opened through Feb. 8. The Department of Agriculture also announced a limited operating schedule of Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays if the government shutdown continues past Feb. 8. Opening the offices will allow the FSA to offer a number of important services including making new direct and guaranteed operating loans; signing documents related to "assignment of guarantee" and two-party checks; and processing transactions related to the Margin Protection Program and disaster payments to producers whose applications have already been approved. Additionally, all existing programs under Farm Production and Conservation will continue to operate. There are limitations, however. New Farm Bill programs will not be available, nor will new direct and guaranteed farm ownership loans. More details here. 

Related: See information below from GBA Strategic Partner ServiceLink about FEMA Flood Hazard Determination Forms, which continue to be valid.

We continue to hear from members about efforts they have in place to help their customers affected by the partial government shutdown. Greater Community Bank in Rome, for example, released information about a special line of credit and other assistance efforts for furloughed government employees. Many banks have posted information on their websites and shared efforts through their social media channels such as Citizens Bank and Trust Company in Richmond Hill's Facebook post. We know each bank has its own unique approach to helping customers through times of crisis and need, and all those efforts are appreciated. Send us a note if you’ve got a particular effort underway, if you have an anecdote about how your bank has helped a customer or if you have information about how the shutdown is affecting families and businesses you serve. Email David Oliver and Katina Prokos.

South State Bank Regional President Jay Forrester didn’t have to look far for a role model in the banking industry. He grew up watching his banker father develop close relationships with customers, which inspired an early interest in following in his footsteps. "I really admired how he interacted with the community and was involved in helping so many individuals and small business owners realize their dreams," Forrester said. While he grew up knowing he wanted to be a banker, he is concerned that young people today may not even consider banking as a career. "It is vital that bankers stay involved in their communities, spend time in schools and recruit top-quality talent to the industry," he said. The Group 10 representative on GBA’s BankPAC Board, Forrester tells us about the role he feels the BankPAC plays in serving our industry, lessons learned working in a bank mail room that he still uses today as well as some surprising outdoor hobbies in this week’s member profile.

Congratulations to past GBA Chairman (2010-2012) Rick Whaley, The Citizens Bank of Americus, who has been elected to a two-year term as chair of FHLBank Atlanta’s board of directors. "We’re so happy for Rick, and we know the FHLBank Atlanta will be well served under his steady, effective and thoughtful leadership," said Joe Brannen, GBA president and CEO. Whaley has been a director of FHLBank Atlanta since 2013 and served as vice chair of the board from 2015 to 2018. Prior to serving as vice chair, he served as chair of the bank’s Credit and Member Services Committee. FHLBank Atlanta also announced Robert L. Strickland, executive director of the Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) as its vice chair. Read more here.

At the HR Professionals Institute March 20-22 on Jekyll Island, Tony McKenzie with the Georgia Department of Labor will provide attendees with details about an important department program that supports employers seeking to hire veterans. Click here for more information on McKenzie’s session. He is just one of many experts on the agenda to help bankers dealing with their financial institutions' human resources challenges. Click here to register for the conference and to see hotel information. Contact GBA’s Alison Moreau with questions, 404.420.2034.

"Conversion" may be one of the scariest words among bank executives and staff members. When a conversion project goes awry, customer service can suffer, customers often depart, employees quit and the financial institution's reputation can be damaged for years. At GBA’s Operations and Technology Conference March 25-27 on St. Simons Island, Terrie Cloud, ICI Consulting, Charlotte, will help attendees better understand the basic project management skills necessary for a successful conversion project as well as outline best practices that should be followed in managing any project. If you are a bank technology officer, IT manager, ISO or are involved in deposit operations, business development or even compliance, you won't want to miss this conference. Register for the pre-conference sessions ($315), the conference sessions only ($375) or both ($635) before Feb. 21 for early-registration pricing. Click here to register and to see hotel information. Contact GBA’s Alison Moreau with questions, 404.420.2034.

As you close the books on 2018, it’s time to hit the restart button and look forward to the year ahead. Hopefully, part of that vision includes ways to more fully engage your account holders and help them embrace increased financial security. After a holiday season of strong spending, many consumers are shifting their focus to paying off debt and getting their budgets back in line. For some, this can be tough. According to a recent Bankrate survey, nearly half of all Americans have felt pressured to spend more on holiday gifts than they can comfortably afford. As a result, at this time of year far too many families and individuals find themselves in a position to make another kind of transaction - with a payday lender or the local check-cashing store - to make ends meet. Granted, this provides a quick, temporary solution when funds become short. But this type of transactional event - which is all a payday lender or check cashing business provides - can be an awkward, costly experience that does nothing to help consumers build long-term financial stability as they look to the new year. As you kick off your strategy for 2019, here are five things you can do to ensure you are providing reliable advice and the resources your account holders need to maintain their financial well-being…

Questions have recently come up about the expiration date found on FEMA Flood Hazard Determination Forms, located in the top right-hand corner (see photo below). GBA Strategic Partner ServiceLink wants to reiterate that this date only applies to the actual government form itself and not the flood data it contains. The current form lists an expiration date of Oct. 31, 2018, and the revised version is pending approval. This current version of the FEMA form will remain valid for the foreseeable future. This form is generated and regulated by FEMA, however, due to the government shutdown, FEMA is unable to continue with the review process at this time. Therefore, they have extended the use of the current version until further notice. This is the form that FEMA requires all flood vendors to use, so all other vendors use the same version as ServiceLink. Once the government reopens, they will most likely approve the next form in 3-6 months and set an adoption date 3 years out for everyone to transition to the new form. ServiceLink will be on the forefront of that, making the changes as soon as FEMA gives the approval.

Fill a Job, Find a Job with the GBA Job Bank
The GBA Job Bank is among the most popular and valuable benefits we provide to member banks and bankers. The Positions Available and Bankers Available sections on our website consistently are among the most visited pages. Best of all, the service costs nothing for member banks and bankers. If you have any questions, please contact GBA's Katina Prokos at 404.420.2021.