Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- FRAUD ALERT: Customer impersonations targeting HELOC accounts in Oklahoma
- FinCEN issues red flags list for crypto ATM frauds
- Join your peers on Capitol Hill: 2025 OBA Washington Visit set
- Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose with OBA Book Club!
- Reference books updated, available from OBA; calendar ready for early-bird orders
- OBA education corner …
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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I’m headed to Madison, Wisconsin, this week to speak to the graduating class at the GSB. I’ll also make time to partake in some cheese curds and Spotted Cow beer! I mean, when in Rome …
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I know it’s not Oklahoma, and it’s not banking related, but I can’t help but be fascinated with the drama taking place in Texas this week. Nearly every Democratic member of the State House fled the state earlier this week to stall a vote on congressional redistricting. I’m no fan of gerrymandering for either party, but I’m not sure what the D’s endgame is here since Texas Gov. Abbott can simply call for special session after special session and the missing representatives can’t exactly stay gone FOREVER … can they?
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Speaking of doing something forever, will the Brewers stay hot FOREVER?! My Cubbies haven’t exactly been playing poorly, yet they still find themselves a full three games behind Milwaukee. The Brewers have the best record in baseball, and just finished a series where they collected 56 hits over three games. FIFTY-SIX HITS!
FRAUD ALERT: Customer impersonators targeting HELOC accounts in Oklahoma
OBA’s Fraud Division has issued an alert regarding traveling customer impersonators currently in Oklahoma.
Presenting counterfeit U.S. Military ID and targeting HELOC accounts is the latest trend for this fraud scheme and it’s causing financial institutions substantial loss. Alerts on CrimeDex indicate the HELOC withdrawal request may result in outgoing cash, cashier’s checks, or wires.
Loss mitigation:
- Talk to your call and customer support employees about being extra cautious of any calls or balance inquiries involving HELOC accounts.
- If front-line employees do not know the customer personally, anyone presenting a U.S. Passport Card or U.S. Military ID (your bank should not have a copy of any customer’s military ID on file as federal law prohibits the copying of most military identification cards) attempting to withdraw funds, especially from a HELOC, should require a second form of identification and verbal verification from the customer (make sure the customer’s phone number of record has not been changed in the previous 30 days!).
Below are several of the individuals in Oklahoma from the past week:
FinCEN issues red flags list for crypto ATM frauds
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a notice on Monday urging financial institutions to be vigilant in identifying and reporting suspicious activity involving convertible virtual currency kiosks, also known as crypto ATMs.
According to the notice, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 10,956 complaints involving CVC kiosks in 2024, with reported victim losses of approximately $246.7 million. The figures represent a 99% increase in the number of complaints and a 31% increase in reported victim losses from the previous year.
This notice describes illicit finance typologies associated with CVC kiosks, provides red flag indicators to assist with identifying and reporting related suspicious activity, and reminds financial institutions of their reporting requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act.
Examples of red flags include cash deposits just beneath the currency transaction report or CVC kiosk daily limit by either using multiple machines or multiple accounts, and multiple customer accounts or transactions linked to the same phone number or CVC wallet address.
Join your peers on Capitol Hill: 2025 OBA Annual Washington Visit set
The OBA’s Annual Washington Visit is Sept. 14 through Sept. 16, and the hotel will be The Mayflower Hotel.
Click here to register online or submit the registration form available in the brochure. If you have any questions, contact Megan McGuire.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose with OBA Book Club!
The OBA Book Club’s next book selection is Friday Night Lights. If you’d like to read along, the discussion will take place this fall.
Friday Night Lights delivers a nuanced, sometimes uncomfortable exploration of leadership and personal growth. It’s more about real-world complexity than clear-cut inspirational messages—but that’s part of its power. It invites readers to think critically about what it means to lead, grow and make meaningful choices when surrounded by intense social pressure.
And to quote the OBA’s Jeremy Cowen —
Friday Night Lights is my favorite non-fiction book of all-time. It hits close to home for me as I was a sportswriter in West Texas, at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and covered Odessa Permian High School now and then. My godfather was the sports editor at the Odessa American newspaper, as well. It’s roundly considered the greatest non-fiction sports novel ever written – even though I’d argue that while its framing device uses sports, the actual story is about a LOT more.
As a bonus, when we meet again, I’ll tell the story about how I got in a LOT of trouble for reading it once, and the circumstances around it, of which most people refuse to believe me.
Additionally, here is a one-pager of core concepts from Unreasonable Hospitality, the last book read by the book club, if you’d like to read through or share with others.
Reference books updated, available from OBA; calendar ready for early-bird orders
Just a quick note to say our OBASCO arm also has updated reference books available:
- Oklahoma State Banking Code – new law relating to digital assets
- Oklahoma Deskbook on Trust & Estates – new in 2025 Oklahoma Uniform Trust Code
- Uniform Consumer Credit Code – changes related to discounts to induce payment by cash or check
- Uniform Commercial Code. changes to central filing system & transfer of certain authority from Secretary of State to Oklahoma County Clerk
Additionally, the 2026 Oklahoma Views & Vistas Calendar is available for early-bird orders
The 2026 Oklahoma Views & Vistas Calendars are now ready – order yours by Aug. 31 to get the special low price of just $1.10 per calendar This is a great way to share your bank’s logo and information to your customers!
OBA education corner …
Who didn’t enjoy the great weather we had this past weekend?! It’s not often you get low 80-degree highs in early August in Oklahoma! While you were sitting on a patio somewhere, we hope you also had time to check out what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- E-Sign Act: Ensuring a Compliant Document Delivery Process, Aug. 13, webinar — Sending deposit and loan documentation electronically is easy and convenient, but it’s critical that institutions are in compliance with the E-Sign Act. Join us for a detailed explanation of the requirements.
- 2025 New Accounts Documentation and Compliance, Aug. 13-Tulsa; Aug. 14-Oklahoma City — Managing risk is the top priority for all financial institutions, starting at the new account desk.
- Payments Rules and Regulations for the ACH Network, Aug. 14, webinar — Master the key rules and regulations that govern the ACH Network, from NACHA operating rules to federal compliance requirements like Regulation E and UCC 4A.
- Do’s and Don’t on Checks, Aug. 19, webinar — Why do we make checks so hard? These simple do’s and don’ts will keep your financial institution from losing money and creating chaos in the back office.
- Frontline Excellence: CEO of the Customer Experience, Aug. 21, webinar — Front-line employees are the CEOs of the customer experience. Their every action and reaction significantly impact your brand’s reputation.
- Branch Manager and Head Teller Training – 2-Part Series, Aug. 25 & 27, webinar — This two-part series will cover the essentials for training your staff and the importance of establishing robust procedures and clear communication.
- Audit Seminar, Aug. 28, Oklahoma City — The seminar will focus on the key aspects of a strong internal audit program, internal audit in a modern financial institution and current events in the banking industry.
- 2025 Supervisor Bootcamp, Sept. 3-Tulsa; Sept. 4-Oklahoma City — You don’t master the art of leading and managing through luck; you master it through training, experience, learning, and staying on top of best practices.
- Fall Human Resources Seminar, Sept. 9, Oklahoma City — We will explore some of the changes in 2025 which have added a lot of confusion to HR. Understanding and getting thru this maze will help us get through more changes.
- Credit Analysis Basics, Sept. 18-Tulsa; Sept. 19-Oklahoma City — Attend this proactive seminar and learn how banks make lending decisions based on the five C’s of credit: capacity,
capital, collateral, conditions and character! - 2025 OBA Consumer Lending School, Oct. 6-10, Oklahoma City — This school exposes students to major issues consumer lenders face. It provides a framework for examining a bank’s consumer credit programs, policies and procedures.
Finally, just a quick note to mark your calendars as the OBA Convention and OBA Senior Management dates and location have already been set for next year! The 2026 OBA Convention will be held May 18-20, back at the Okana Resort, in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, the 2026 OBA Senior Management Conference will be held on March 29-31 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa, in Indian Wells, California. More details will be available in the coming months, but go ahead and get those notes on your calendar today!