Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- Agencies repeal guidance on leveraged lending
- OBA offices closing early on Dec. 15
- Four bankers make up 2025 class for Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame
- OBA TikTok Time …
- 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 out on the road visiting banks today. Keep an eye out for a black Chevy Tahoe pulling into your parking lot, especially if you work in the northwestern part of the state!
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We inducted four new members into the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame last week: Brud Baker, Sandy Bracken, Gary Huckabay and Lee Symcox. It was a wonderful ceremony and you can see and download photos from the event at this Dropbox link.
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Well, the Cornhuskers are officially in the postseason: they play Utah on New Year’s Eve in the Las Vegas Bowl. While I’m not excited about our chances against a really good Utes squad, I am happy to have one more game to cheer on the Big Red this season!
Agencies repeal guidance on leveraged lending
The FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week rescinded guidance on leveraged lending issued more than a decade ago, saying it was too restrictive.
The agencies rescinded the 2013 guidance and a 2014 FAQ on the guidance that was issued jointly with the Federal Reserve. The guidance outlined “high-level principles” related to safe-and-sound leveraged lending activities. However, in a statement on Dec. 5, the FDIC and OCC said the documents impeded banks’ application of risk management principles to leveraged lending.
The agencies are replacing the guidance with eight “general principles” for risk management of commercial loans and other types of lending. They include the recommendation that banks have “a clearly defined risk appetite that is reasonable and reflects the aggregate level and types of risk it is willing and able to assume to achieve its strategic objectives.”
OBA offices closing early on Dec. 15
The OBA will close early on Dec. 15 for staff team-building and training events, as well as our staff’s annual Christmas gift exchange.
We will open at our regular time on that Monday, Dec. 15, but close the office around noon.
We will reopen at our regular time on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Four bankers make up 2025 class for Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame inducted its 2025 class – its seventh – today at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. R.S. “Brud” Baker, with Stride Bank, in Enid; Sandra “Sandy” Bracken, most recently with First Liberty Bank, in Oklahoma City; the late Gary Huckabay, most recently with All America Bank, in Mustang; and Lee Symcox, with First Fidelity Bank, in Oklahoma City; make up the 2025 group.
The ceremony was hosted by the Oklahoma Bankers Association’s immediate past chair, Alicia Wade, who is also executive vice president and COO of Sovereign Bank, in Shawnee. OBA President and CEO Adrian Beverage introduced each inductee.
You can read more about each inductee here, and can view and download photos from the event via this link.
OBA TikTok Time …
Welcome to the continuation of our semi-regular feature in the OBA Update: OBA TikTok Time!
The OBA created a TikTok account to feature fun, entertaining little video segments that feature our bankers and those who work with them. No, a TikTok account is not required to view these short videos as you can navigate directly there just by using the link we provide here in the OBA Update. For those concerned about security via TikTok, you can also easily view the videos through our Instagram account. We’ll feature our most recent TikToks in the TikTok Time … corner of various upcoming OBA Updates.
For this edition, we asked some bankers in attendance at last week’s Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame induction ceremony whom some of THEIR mentors have been in the banking industry.
OBA education corner …
Some of us have gone on a bit of a deep dive into the music of The Cars, recently. While not exactly hard rock, The Cars were never full-on new wave either, and were rather interesting as their two lead singers sound almost exactly the same! While You Might Think you know a lot about The Cars, we encourage you to Drive over and check out their catalogue the next chance you get, while also making sure you take a little time to keep up with what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- Consumer Real Estate Loans, Dec. 11, webinar — Take this opportunity to expand your knowledge of current compliance rules and take your loan processing skills to the next level.
- IRS Information Reporting: Rules and Forms, Dec. 16, webinar — It’s always necessary to stay on top of the many issues when it comes to tax reporting for financial institutions.
- 2026 Compliance Updates: Operations: Jan. 22-Tulsa; Jan. 27-Oklahoma City Lending: Jan. 22-Tulsa; Jan. 27-Oklahoma City — This annual update provides a look back at hot topics and will offer guidance on upcoming trends and regulatory concerns.
- 2026 OBA Intermediate School, Session I-Feb. 26; Session II-June 1-5, Oklahoma City — This school is designed to prepare students to serve effectively and profitably the needs and desires of their banks and the banking public. A major objective of the program is to instill an appreciation for and an understanding of the operations and interrelationships of departments within a bank.