Our state’s industry is fortunate to have a representative serving on the FDIC Advisory Committee on Community Banking. United Bank CEO Jim Edwards attended the committee’s meeting last week and shared with us some key takeaways. "This was a productive and helpful meeting, covering lots of ground," Edwards said. "Chairman McWilliams has established a good environment for direct feedback from the members, and the staff gave us detailed updates on a dozen specific topics." In particular, Edwards said the committee spent a considerable amount of time talking about the proposed community bank leverage ratio of 9 percent, with all members preferring an 8 percent standard if possible. Get more details of Edwards' report here, and you may access a webcast of the meeting here on FDIC’s website. Edwards is a former GBA Chairman and is currently ABA Vice Chairman. He welcomes questions and ongoing feedback that he can share as your representative to the committee. Email him at jimedwards@unitedbank.net.

At midnight April 2, Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan gaveled to a close the first year of the Georgia General Assembly’s biennial. The 2019 session will go down in our record books as a good one for banking as we were able to work with legislators to pass our three priority bills and amend, support or help defeat other bills affecting the industry. In total, we worked on 51 bills. "I’m so proud of our lobbying team who were at the Capitol every day fighting for our industry. Elizabeth Chandler, with support from Steve Bridges and Joe Brannen, took the lead for the industry negotiating often complex and sometimes controversial issues. Their years of experience paid off once again as they successfully navigated the fast-paced environment with professionalism and integrity," said GBA Chairman John Hall, president and CEO, American Pride Bank, Macon. Be looking for a Legislative Update shortly with details about the session. With questions, contact Elizabeth Chandler, 404.420.2027.

The state’s banks were well represented this week at the annual ABA Government Relations Summit and Emerging Leaders Forum. Former Leadership GBA Executive Committee President Walker Jordan, Bank of Monticello; emerging leader representatives Jenny Wofford, Pinnacle Bank, and Kesha Love, Synovus; and former GBA Chairman Jim Williams, state ABA member rep., joined ABA Vice Chairman Jim Edwards, United Bank, as our state’s delegation. Member bankers visited the offices of Georgia’s Congressional delegation in addition to attending the summit’s programming. "I spoke with Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA10) briefly and thanked him for his support of the regulatory relief bill that Congress passed last year. I asked for him to lean on GBA for any information that he or his chief of staff, David Sours, may need on banking issues, and I told him we would be back in May for the annual GBA visit with a big crowd of Georgia bankers," Jordan said. "Our elected representatives really welcome these in-person visits to learn our hometown perspectives on national policies." Get more details of the summit here.

It was frustrating this week to watch the Senate fail to pass the disaster aid package cobbled together initially by Sens. Perdue and Isakson, with later additions from other senators in states affected by 2018 disasters and the more recent flooding in the Midwest. Our Senators made persistent efforts throughout the floor debate and passionately negotiated to get the package over the finish line. Unfortunately, the appropriations bill got derailed by partisan disagreements about aid proposed for Puerto Rico related to 2017 hurricane damage. In conversations with our delegation, they are continuing to look for a path forward. At this point, it’s simply too early to know what that will look like or when we can expect more efforts, especially because the two sides are so far apart. "Every day we continue debating disaster relief is a day that people across the country face crippling uncertainty. Time is of the essence, and Congress must act NOW," Sen. Perdue tweeted. Sen. Isakson took the well saying, "It’s a shame that politics has come into play with disaster aid funding for Georgia and other states. I appreciate the farmers of Georgia, and we’re going to get this done for them." Gov. Kemp unleashed a statement capturing the frustration, "While Georgia farmers - who suffered over $2 billion in damages from Hurricane Michael - wait for federal resources, politicians in Washington continue to play games. This is absolutely unacceptable." With questions, contact Joe Brannen, 404.420.2026, or Elizabeth Chandler, 404.420.2027.

There’s an ongoing need for people to know how to save money, manage credit and be good stewards of their finances. Georgia banks promote good financial habits year round, but to give the issue some extra attention, Gov. Kemp has proclaimed April as Financial Literacy Month in Georgia. Bankers have credibility and unique skills to help their customers be better at managing their money, and we’ve got resources available to help you reach out in your hometowns this month and throughout the year. The annual Teach Children to Save Day is April 12, and we encourage banks to visit classrooms that day in particular. There’s no cost to register for the program and get access to the planning resources available here. Also, we have links to tons of additional resources on our Financial Literacy Resources page in the GBA Member Center online.

Invitations went out this week by email to CEOs, CFOs and HR contacts for the 2019 GBA Compensation and Benefits Survey. Data collection for the non-salary benefits and director compensation sections is now underway. It’s early, but our HR Committee recommended an April 1 head-start on these sections to encourage more participation. The salary data collection will begin May 1 as usual, and the deadline for all data submissions is June 28. Contributing your bank’s details creates the most thorough, comprehensive report in the Georgia marketplace. Click here to see some of the highlights and benefits of participating. To access the survey website and participate click here. The password to access the site is GBA#2019. With questions and details about accessing the survey, contact David Oliver, 404.420.2036, or Randy McGraw at Matthews, Young - Management Consulting, 919.644.6962.

Maybe your schedule got freed up unexpectedly. Maybe you wrapped up a project early. Maybe you just let it slip up on you and realized you haven’t signed up. Whatever the reason, you or a representative from your bank can still register to come to GBA’s Security Conference next week on St. Simons. We’ve got a full slate of sessions covering a variety of topics related to physical security, protecting customers, peer sharing and skill building. The conference is April 11-12. Details and registration here. With questions or for more information, contact Alison Moreau, 404.420.2034.

The state’s preeminent expert on the agriculture economy, UGA Professor Emeritus Dr. John McKissick, will again be among the speakers at the annual GBA Rural Development and Lending Conference May 16-17 on St. Simons. It’s a good time to get an update, as one national barometer about the overall ag economy shows increased concern among farmers and producers about future economic conditions. McKissick is an annual favorite. We’re also honored that Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black will give a talk. Register today to learn, network and share intel with your peers. Details and registration here. With questions or for more information, contact Alison Moreau, 404.420.2034.

We hope you already follow GBA on Twitter for up-to-the-moment industry news, member bank updates and association announcements. If you want to cut through the social media clutter and get even more connected with the Georgia banking community, we have a new resource available. Check out the lists page on our Twitter account here to access carefully curated feeds of GBA Members, Partners and Friends, Georgia Legislative contacts and more. Bankers who want to stay connected with their industry as well as Associate Members and Bank Counsel members who want to keep up with their clients will all benefit from subscribing. With questions, contact GBA’s Katina Prokos, 404.420.2021.

For the benefit of our members, GBA Services Inc., (GBASI), has already done the due diligence for you! With the guidance of the GBASI Board of Directors, GBASI endorses a wide variety of quality products and services through Strategic Partnerships with leading vendors. GBASI also offers a variety of helpful products and services through direct sales. By combining the collective buying power of the entire banking industry in Georgia, GBA members can take advantage of exclusive savings. Click here to see and learn more about all our GBA Strategic Partners and available products and services. Have questions or feedback about any of these solutions? Please contact Bo Brannen, 404.420.2014. 

Check out these four courses that are offered in April. These ABA-facilitated online courses feature an online learning community with fellow students, instructor guidance and feedback. Click here for a list of all ABA offerings. For more information, contact Shan Haugabrook, 404.420.2020.

GBA Job Bank - 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 Prokos, kprokos@gabankers.com, 404.420.2021.

GBA Strategic Partner BankTalentHQ - The central feature of BankTalentHQ is its national bank-job board. Other key benefits include: resume search access, regional and national reach for your open positions, frequent special offers and custom sales/coaching programs. Visit BankTalentHQ to learn more. See the open positions in Georgia here, or search regionally or nationally here.