Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- ABA task force completes recommendations for deposit insurance reform
- Trump issues executive order to fix rules contributing to debanking
- Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame accepting nominations for 2025
- OBA Emerging Leaders Academy taking applications
- Save the date: OBA convention, senior management events set for 2026
- 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 on the road today visiting banks, alongside Scott Thompson, from our office. If you work in the Northwest portion of the state, keep an eye out for a black Chevy Tahoe and two incredibly dapper-looking men walking into your banks!
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During a speech at the Kansas Bankers Association’s annual meeting, the Fed’s Michelle Bowman said her organization is planning a conference in October specifically for community banks.
Bowman, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, said the event will take place in Washington, D.C., and is meant to bring together community bankers, industry experts, academics and others to discuss the Fed’s work within the community bank world. She also said the Fed is already examining elements of the bank regulatory framework unique to community banks, including the community bank leverage ratio, liquidity sources and regulatory expectations and rethinking capital options and operations for mutual banks.
I, for one, welcome such a get-together and think it could be the start of something really positive! We’ll keep you apprised of the dates and registrations opportunities as we learn more.
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The Brewers racked up another win last night, which gave them 10 in a row, their second double-digit winning streak of the season. My Cubs aren’t playing bad, but they simply can’t keep up with the runaway train that has become Milwaukee.
ABA task force completes recommendations for deposit insurance reform
Over the past 18 months, following the 2023 failures of Silicon National Bank, and the 2024 closing of First National Bank of Lindsay, here in Oklahoma, the American Bankers Association has gathered the thoughts of its members to create recommendations for deposit insurance reform.
The ABA released those recommendations today, alongside a shorter summarized version and a op-ed from ABA Chair-Elect Kenneth Kelly.
Trump issues executive order to fix rules contributing to debanking
President Trump issued an executive order on Thursday that directs federal agencies to investigate whether banks and credit unions denied services to customers because of their political beliefs or because they were engaged in certain business activities, such as cryptocurrency.
In addition, the order directs agencies to rescind rules and regulations that caused financial institutions to deny services to categories of customers, in particular rules related to reputational risk.
The order directs agencies to investigate financial institutions for possible violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, antitrust statutes or consumer protection laws, and to take disciplinary action if necessary, according to the White House. It accuses some financial institutions of participating in government-directed surveillance programs targeting the political right. It also accuses bank regulators of using “supervisory scrutiny and other influence over regulated banks to direct or otherwise encourage politicized or unlawful debanking activities.”
Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame accepting nominations for 2025
The Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for the upcoming 2025 class; additionally, a reminder the process of selecting inductees was updated a few years back.
First, for those interested in nominating a banker, here are some downloadable forms linked below – please return all nominations to Adrian Beverage (adrian@oba.com):
If a person was nominated previously, it is not necessary to re-nominate them – they will remain in consideration. Updates to their bio, letters of recommendation, etc., however, are always welcomed.
Second, as mentioned, a new process for selecting the inductees to each class was instituted in 2023. After discussion with leadership at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame about its processes, and learning about other methods from other organizations, the induction procedure for the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame has been updated.
After all nominations have been received by OBA President and CEO Adrian Beverage, he will forward those nominees to the OBA chair (currently, Steve Bagwell), who will convene a committee of 11 individuals in September to select the inductees. These 11 individuals will be made up of the OBA’s Executive Committee, who will join a banker selected by the OBA chair from each of the OBA’s six geographical groups, as well as the chair of the OBA Emerging Leaders Division. The specific committee members will be completely anonymous to everyone outside of the current OBA chair.
These committee members will select the final inductees from the group of nominees given. They will also discuss any possible posthumous inductees who may have not been nominated.
Once the inductees have been selected, the OBA chair will inform Beverage and notification and preparations will be made by the OBA staff for the induction ceremony, which will be held this year in December at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.
Following the 2025 selections, the current selection committee will immediately disband and a new committee will be picked the following year by the next OBA chair. Aside from the OBA chair and executive committee, the selection committee will remain anonymous with only the other committee members from that specific year knowing their identities.
OBA Emerging Leaders Academy taking applications
Take note the OBA 2025-26 Emerging Leaders Academy is currently accepting applications. We’re looking for the best and brightest bankers who seek to sharpen their leadership skills.
There are six sessions to the Academy: Nov. 13, Dec. 11, Jan. 23, Feb. 25, March 27, April 24. Each session delivers takeaways that can be implemented immediately. Graduation will take place in May 2026 at the OBA Annual Convention.
Academy applicants should be able to demonstrate an increasing level of responsibility, potential for continuing to play a leadership role in Oklahoma banking and a desire to further their careers and grow professionally. A panel of bankers will review the applicants and choose those accepted into the Academy (maximum 30 bankers).
Click here to apply! The application deadline is Sept. 26. For more information, please contact Megan McGuire at megan@oba.com or (405) 424-5252.
Save the date: OBA convention, senior management events set for 2026
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!
OBA education corner …
Sometimes, you just want to put George Strait on shuffle and sit back … for several hours. Some of us did that this weekend, and hearing old familiars like Amarillo By Morning and Ocean Front Property mixed in with deeper cuts like 80 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper and Some Days only gave proof to the fact that George remains the king of country music! While two-stepping around your house, we hope you also had time to check out what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- 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.
- Vendor Management: Agencies Raising Expectations, Plus Recent Developments, Sept. 2, webinar — In this webinar, we’ll discuss the final guidance, what these new expectations are, and how to best improve your vendor management program.
- What To Do When A Customer Dies, Sept. 3, webinar — This webinar focuses on the deposit and loan issues that arise when a customer dies.
- ACH Rules Update: Navigating Nacha’s New Rules, Sept. 5, webinar — This session is essential for financial professionals involved in ACH transactions, fraud prevention and risk management.