Thursday, December 12, 2024

Week of Feb. 26

In This Issue…

From Adrian’s desk …

By Adrian Beverage
OBA President & CEO

Just some random tidbits that might be of interest to our bankers this week!

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We’re nearing the first legislative deadline at the state Capitol, when the tracking list of bills we follow will narrow from HUNDREDS to hopefully just a few dozen. So far, we’ve not seen anything nefarious to our industry pop up, but we’re keeping an eye out for all our banks!

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One bill that passed through last week, while not directly part of anything to do with the banking industry, was the grocery tax elimination bill. Gov. Still signed the bill into law today.

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The Cornhuskers men’s basketball team hit the 20-win mark with a blowout over Minnesota this past weekend! While – knock on wood – I think the ‘Huskers have all but sewn up a NCAA Tournament berth, a very doable final three games of the season means they could even start thinking about improving their seeding for the NCAAs and have a better chance of securing that elusive first-ever win in the Big Dance!

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Oklahoma AG offers opinion on affidavit filing when recording deeds

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond gave his official opinion on the affidavit requirement in title 60, section 121 of Oklahoma Statutes, which involves alien ownership of land in Oklahoma and recording deeds with county clerks in the state.

Drummond’s office asked if we would help disseminate his ruling our member banks. You can click here to download his opinion.

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Interested in leading our Emerging Leaders?

The OBA is looking for bankers interested in serving as chairperson of the OBA Emerging Leaders Division.

Any OBA Emerging Leaders who are currently enrolled in the OBA Emerging Leaders Academy or have previously graduated from an OBA Emerging Leaders Academy or OBA Leadership Academy are eligible for the position. The Emerging Leaders chair will serve a two-year term and will work closely with OBA staff to continue to build and direct the OBA Emerging Leaders program. The chairperson will also serve as a voting member on the OBA Board of Directors.

Are you interested? If so, click here to download the Emerging Leaders-Chair Interest Form. The deadline to return the form is March 31.

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Bankers at state capitol: Register for OBA’s 2024 Contact Banker Program

We have set the dates for the 2024 Contact Banker Program. Click here to find a sign-up form with the dates for this year’s program. Please select dates that work best for you and return you form to megan@oba.com. Once we have the groups finalized, we will send an email confirmation for your date.

On the date you select, there will be a short briefing before we start walking the halls of the Capitol. Please know, we will stay together as a group the entire morning. We will do our best to have you spend a few minutes with both your state senator and state representative to either start a new relationship or strengthen one already in place. We won’t ask you to discuss current legislation – we want you to just chat with your members about issues facing your community or other pressing matters. Depending on what week you select, we will either sit in on a committee meeting or in the gallery to watch the action on the floor. Once we have finished all of our business at the Capitol, the OBA Government Relations Team will take everyone to lunch to discuss the events of the morning.

Everyone at the Capitol knows bankers are involved in the political process and watching how they vote. All of this success is because of the Contact Banker Program. This program is meant for all employees at the bank. There is no cost to attend other than your time.  Please complete this registration form and send it to megan@oba.com.

Questions? Please contact Megan McGuire (megan@oba.com / 405-424-5252).

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GSB scholarships available for 2024

Several scholarships are now available to bankers from OBA-member banks for various graduate schools of banking. Applications should be submitted to the OBA’s Janis Reeser by email (janis@oba.com), regular mail (643 N.E. 41st St., OKC, 73105) or fax (405-424-4518).

Click on the links below for more specific information about each scholarship:

*SWGSB scholarship may be awarded for the second and third year as long as the recipient remains in the top 10% of the class. The decision is at the discretion of the school administration.

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OBA education corner …

The Bradford pears started blooming around our offices today! One day, nothing … the next the we have beautiful blossoms, a terrible smell and a lot of sneezing. Love ’em or hate ’em, seeing those blossoms announces spring is, well, if not exactly here, then pretty darned adjacent! While taking your allergy medication, take a little the time to check out our upcoming continuing education opportunities!

  • ECOA Small Business Lending Data Collection, March 6, webinar — Although there have been delays and court cases, the Small Business Lending Data Collection requirements Section 1071 data collection requirements will come, sooner or later.
  • Basics of ChatGPT, March 7, webinar — As artificial intelligence becomes a tool for everyday life, we need to embrace it and understand how it benefits us.
  • Avoiding Check Fraud Liability: From Prevention to Loss Allocation, March 13, webinar — This webinar provides attendees with tips to avoid check fraud losses, as well as an overview of the laws that apply to loss allocation when check fraud occurs.
  • IRA Death Distributions to Beneficiaries – Options and IRS Reporting, March 13, webinar — Over the years, the IRS has changed the methods of payments to beneficiaries many times – but nothing like the mess they have created in the last three years.
  • Retail Management Workshop, March 13-14, Oklahoma City — This two-day, interactive workshop designed to provide a complete overview of management and leadership principles for retail managers serving in all roles of the retail banking line of business for the bank.
  • Adding the WOW Factor to Credit Analysis, March 14, webinar — Join this webinar to learn to use ratio analysis to take your analysis process for lending to the next level.
  • CRA Modernization, April 2-Tulsa, April 3-Oklahoma City — This comprehensive seminar is designed to demystify the changes to CRA and provide a pathway to compliance with CRA Modernization’s final rule.

Also, NOW is the time to get involved in your Association, and one good way to accomplish this is to join one of our committees! We are now taking names for those interested in our committees for the 2023-2024 year. By participating with the group three to four times a year, you learn more about your profession, meet other bankers, share ideas and become better at what you do.

Additionally, the OBA is proud to promote the recognition of bankers who have devoted 50 or more years of service to the banking industry. All eligible nominees will be honored at the 2022 OBA Convention on May 13-15 at the Skirvin-Hilton in Oklahoma City. Click here to download a nomination form. If you have any questions, please contact Janis Reeser at 405-424-5252 or janis@oba.com.

Finally, the Oklahoma Bankers Association 2024 Senior Management Conference is scheduled for April 7-9 at the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas. One of the key benefits in the conference will be talking with your peers. Attendees at the OBA 2024 Senior Management Conference will be surrounded by those with similar titles, similar workloads, similar problems and likely solutions to issues that can be just as similar. If you have any questions or want to get signed up, contact the OBA’s education department at 405-424-5252.!

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