Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- Warsh nominated as next Fed chair
- First Friday Fraud Forums on deck!
- Review your bank’s information for OBA directory
- 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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The state legislative season started on Monday with Gov. Stitt’s State of the State Address. You can read a good summary of all the topics he touched on via Tres Savage’s article on NonDoc. (NonDoc is an INVALUABLE resource during legislative season and I encourage everyone to visit it regularly to stay up to date on everything happening at the state Capitol over the next few weeks.)
As far as banking-related issues, those seem to be under the radar right now, but we’re going to keep an eye on everything and we’ll keep you updated as the session continues.
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We had our first board meeting of the calendar year last week, and the first one held in-person since October. It was good to see everyone again and I enjoyed discussing preparations for the upcoming legislative session.
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Uh-oh. I guess it couldn’t be all smooth sailing, but after winning 20 games in a row to start the season, my Cornhusker basketball team has now lost back-to-back games. Whatever happens from here, it still feels like we’re playing with house money, although I’ll be SORELY disappointed if we don’t chalk up that long-awaited first-ever NCAA Tournament win in March.
Warsh nominated as next Fed chair
President Trump announced last week he has nominated former Federal Reserve board member Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed.
If confirmed by the Senate, Warsh would succeed current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Warsh worked in the mergers and acquisitions department at Morgan Stanley before joining the administration of President George W. Bush, where he was special assistant to the president for economic policy and executive secretary at the National Economic Council. Bush nominated Warsh to serve on the Fed board in 2006. During his term, he served as the Fed’s representative to the G20 and as an emissary to the emerging and advanced economies in Asia. He has a law degree from Harvard Law School.
First Friday Fraud Forums on deck!
Calling all fraud fighters – mark your calendar for 10 a.m. Friday!
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.
For this Friday’s call, click here for the Zoom link. The Meeting ID is 839 1586 5245 and the passcode is 256574
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.
OBA education corner …
When thinking of 80s music, either hair metal bands or new wave pop usually enters your mind. What about a amalgam of the two? Remember Roxette? The two Swedes crossed the line between straight-up dance music (The Look) to power ballads (Listen To Your Heart) to pop-rock (Dangerous) to sweeping love anthems (It Must Have Been Love)! Sometimes, we miss bands who could cross over genres from song to song. While reminiscing about the late 80s and early 90s pop music scene, take a little time to keep up with what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- Do’s And Don’t for Signature Cards, Feb. 10, webinar — The signature card/account agreement is the most important document on the deposit side of the financial institution.
- The UCC for Bankers, Feb. 11, webinar — Gain a thorough understanding of the impact of the Uniform Commercial Code on secured lending transactions.
- Flood Insurance: Compliance and Enforcement Challenges, Feb. 13, webinar — Deep dive into the world of flood insurance compliance, including requirements, best practices and common risks and violation areas.
- The Right of Setoff: What Bankers Need To Know, Feb. 17, webinar — The right of setoff is a complicated, but very effective, tool for collecting debts owed to a financial institution.
- IRA Reporting To The IRS: Dodging The Pitfalls, Feb. 18, webinar — Following the “garbage in/garbage out” rule, if we don’t use the correct transaction descriptions or codes for the IRA contributions and distributions, the resulting incorrect IRS reporting will trigger a letter and bill from the IRS to our customers.
- Exploding Check Fraud, Feb.19, webinar — It’s crazy the amount of check fraud in our current environment. Your institution can fall victim to check fraud in many ways and many of them are preventable.
- 2026 Retail Management Workshop, March 10-11, Oklahoma City — This workshop is designed to provide a complete overview of management and leadership principles for retail managers serving in all roles of retail banking.
Also, 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 2026 OBA Convention on May 20 at the OKANA Resort 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.