Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- Credit card rate cap proposal raises ire
- Monthly virtual fraud education events set
- OBA Bankers’ Night Out programs ready for spring
- Read along with OBA Book Club
- Review your information for OBA directory
- Welcome new OBA Strategic Members
- 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 Nashville for a meeting about GSB-Wisconsin. I’m hoping the incoming weather at the end of the week doesn’t affect travel too badly!
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We continue to keep an eye on the buzz surrounding credit cards, interest fees and late fee caps. Recently, a group of Democratic senators have introduced a bill to lower credit card late fee caps. We’re unsure how much movement this will get through the Senate and/or House. Of course, President Trump proposed last week to impose a one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates, which has since become a proposed bill sponsored by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
You can read more about this issue below in today’s Update.
• • •
That was a heckuva fun game last night between Indiana and Miami! Who would have thought, just a few years ago, that Indiana — INDIANA! — would be the national champions in football, and the first-ever team to go 16-0 in more than 100 years?
Of course, the Nebraska men’s basketball team scoffs at such paltry win totals, as it ran its record to 18-0 this weekend!
Credit card rate cap proposal raises ire
President Trump’s proposal to cap credit card rates at 10% has caused many groups and organizations to speak out against the idea.
Both the ABA and the ICBA, along with several other banking and credit union associations have stated the idea would harm both consumer and small businesses.
Editorial boards at two major media organizations – the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal – both vehemently opposed such a cap.
ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols was recently interviewed on Bloomberg TV and called the idea the wrong approach in trying to help people.
Most recently, new research from credit card issuers have shown the cap would actually reduce access to credit for millions of consumers nationwide, even those with good credit scores and credit history.
Monthly virtual fraud education events set
Calling all fraud fighters – mark your calendar for 10 a.m. on Feb. 6!
In an attempt to communicate fraud trends to our member banks in all areas of the state, we will start holding monthly “First Friday Fraud Forum” virtual meetings via Zoom. These meetings are for OBA members only. We will cover information on the latest fraud trends affecting our banks.
Any banker who wants to attend an in-person meeting can join one of the “MAFIA” meetings held in Durant, Lawton, Miami, Oklahoma City, Stillwater or Tulsa.
Watch for additional information on these First Friday Fraud Forums in an upcoming OBA Update.
OBA Bankers’ Night Out programs ready for spring
The dates for the OBA Bankers’ Night Out programs have been finalized. Mark your calendar for the date of the program that’s in your area of the state and plan to attend. Bring your coworkers with you so that everyone can be up to speed on the most recent developments affecting their job. In addition to state and federal legislative updates, the program will include a discussion on the recent developments in your industry.
As in the past, the schedule for each of these meetings is:
5:30 p.m. – Drinks.
6:15 p.m. – Program.
7 p.m. – Dinner.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. The cost is $60 per person. Click here for a registration form.
Locations and dates for this year’s events are:
- Tulsa, April 7.
- Oklahoma City, April 8
- Ardmore, April 14
- Guymon, April 23
- Krebs, April 16.
Additionally, lunch editions of the Bankers Night Out events will be held on April 7 in Grove, and on April 23 in Woodward. It will start at 11:30 a.m. and the cost is $50 per person.
Please contact Thi Pham (thi@oba.com) for sponsorship questions!
Read along with OBA Book Club
The OBA Book Club announced its next book selection – a memoir from Nike’s Phil Knight titled “Shoe Dog”. It should be a fascinating look at one of the most famous business executives in the world, in his own words.
If the book interests you, read along and join the 30-min Zoom discussion that will take place late February.
To get involved, please email Joan Anderson, and she will add you to the Book Club Roster.
Review your bank’s information for OBA directory
The Oklahoma Bankers Association Directory of Banks is again being produced this year by NFR Communications. To best serve you, we want to include the most up-to-date and accurate information about your bank, your branches and your staff.
However, we need your help.
To ensure we are using the most accurate information, please follow the instructions provided in the letter that was mailed to your bank last week by NFR Communications. Please review and revise as necessary the financial directory listing for your holding company, your main bank and your branches. You can also use the login information that was included in the letter to update your listing online or, if needed, download a new form.
For questions and completed forms, please email directories@nfrcom.com. Please update the information no later than Feb. 4.
We appreciate your help in making the 2026 Edition of the Oklahoma Bankers Association Directory of Banks a success.
Welcome new OBA Strategic Members
The OBA is proud to welcome aboard four new strategic members to our family!
HUB-Taylor Advisors
HUB | Taylor Advisors is a balance sheet management-consulting firm and an SEC-registered investment advisor servicing financial institutions. They are not a brokerage firm but a team of investment analysts and balance sheet consultants to bank executives. They work with senior officers, ALCO members and board members to provide advice, strategies, and education in the areas of investment, liquidity, asset/liability and risk management.
Contact: Brett Walburn
700 N Hurstbourne Parkway, Suite 110
Louisville, KY 40222
Phone: (504) 814-5601
Email: brett.walburn@hubinternational.com
Website: www.tayloradvisor.com
NBID, LLC
National Bank InterDeposit Company is a reciprocal deposit network. Member institutions can leverage NBID’s deposit network to offer access to millions to aggregate insurance across network banks to attract large-value depositors, retain key relationships and grow new business lines. All participating depository institutions receive a membership interest in NBID.
Contact: Tony Karalekas
27 W 24th Street, Suite 701
New York, NY 10010
Phone: (239) 248-5764
Email: tony@modernfi.com
Website: https://www.nbid.com
Oculus Software
Banking software and technology called BNControl by Oculus Software. BNControl transforms your data into actionable insights by providing a comprehensive view of your organization, enabling data driven decisions and maximizing efficiency.
Contact: Leah McCann
120 South Jefferson Ave. Suite A
Cookeville, TN 38501
Phone: (931) 650-1922
Email: lmccann@oculus-software.com
Website: https://www.oculus-software.com/
Woodrum Tate and Associates
Woodrum Tate & Associates provides consulting and accounting services for community banks and businesses, including regulatory compliance, capital planning, ALM, strategic planning, tax services, business valuations and financial reporting.
Contact: Sam Lisicki
321 S Boston Ave, #200
Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: (262) 930-9899
Email: sam.lisicki@wktw.net
Website: https://wktw.net
OBA education corner …
The year-end report for those whom use Spotify is out, and we couldn’t help but chuckle when some of our friends looked at theirs! “Why is ‘yacht rock’ my third most played genre,” one asked with a puzzled look. After looking at his phone, we decided it was all the Toto and Michael McDonald he had on his playlists! While parsing through your own favorite musical genres – whether you know they are or not – take a little time to keep up with what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- HMDA Checkup, Jan. 27, webinar — This session will be a detailed discussion on all things HMDA, from thresholds and reporting definitions, to data points and typical violations and issues for lenders.
- Canva for Trainers: An Impactful Designs Workshop, Jan. 27, webinar — If you’ve been curious to explore Canva’s time-saving features and boost the impact of your visual designs, this session is for you!
- Audit Report Writing, Jan. 28, webinar — Review understandable, pertinent examples from various auditing disciplines to learn how to remedy the greatest roadblocks to clear thinking through writing and how to cultivate a convincing, authoritative style.
- 2026 Key Ratio Analysis: Calculating and Interpreting the Numbers Correctly!, Jan. 29, Oklahoma City — Attend this proactive seminar and learn a “five-step” analysis plan to calculate the key ratios covering liquidity, activity, leverage, operating performance and cash-flow analysis, and correctly interpret the financial condition of the business client.
- ACH Basics: Understanding the ACH Network, Feb. 3, webinar — Get back to basics with this essential introduction to the ACH Network. Learn how it works, who the players are and why it matters to your institution.
- Regulation CC Compliance, Feb. 5, webinar — This regulation was passed in 1988 and continues to be one of the toughest compliance problems in financial institutions around the country.
- FedNow Fundamentals: Instant Understanding of What It Is, How It Works and Where It’s Headed, Feb. 5, webinar — What exactly is FedNow, how does it work and what do financial institutions need to know to stay compliant, manage risks and serve their customers?
- Talent Management: Hiring for the Right Fit & Unlocking Potential, Feb. 6, webinar — Equipping managers and supervisors with the skills to excel in the hiring and development process is essential for both employee and organizational success.
- 2026 OBA Senior Management Forum, March 29-31, Indian Wells, California — 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.
Also, 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:
- GSB-Madison HR School Scholarship: $700 — Deadline: Feb. 6.
- GSB-Madison Scholarship: $1,500 each of three years — Deadline: March 2.
- SWGSB Scholarship: $5,000* to first-year student for second year’s tuition — Deadline March 2.
- GSB-LSU Scholarship: $5,100 for first-year student — Deadline March 2.
- GSB-Colorado Bold Leaders Scholarship*: one-third of annual tuition for three years — Deadline March 2.
*Must have completed either OBA Emerging Leaders Academy or OBA Intermediate School.
All applicants must be first-year students and plan to attend each of the specific school’s three years. Scholarships are not transferable.