Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- OBA, other associations urge OCC to close yield loopholes in stablecoin rule
- Convention time is near! Register today
- OBA calendar photo contest set
- 2026 Directory of Banks now available for purchase
- 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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Well, I’ve been saying in this space for the past few weeks how surprised I was the state legislature might be able to adjourn before the calendar even turned to May. Well, now I know why I would have been surprised, as both the House and the Senate keep chugging along, well after the state budget has already been signed, sealed and delivered.
All joking aside, I’ll actually be surprised if we’re still talking about it being in session this time next week. Still, stay tuned!
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I’ve been taking the time to personally invite every banker I’ve run across in the past few weeks to get signed up for our convention. I’ve even been reaching out to our non-members, encouraging them to come. It’s simply important to me to see the industry well represented when we have two gubernatorial candidates and the FDIC chair set to be on stage.
If you have signed up, I’ll see you there! Bring a co-worker or peer! If you haven’t signed up, go to the story in this Update and click on the links and get your name on the list! The industry needs you!
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Chalk up the Big 10 regular season title for my Nebraska softballers! It was our first outright conference title in softball since we joined the conference! The baseball team isn’t doing too shabby either, tied for second place behind what many believe is the best team in the entire country: UCLA. It’s been a nice spring sports season for the Cornhuskers!
OBA, other associations urge OCC to close yield loopholes in stablecoin rule
The OBA, the American Bankers Association, and 51 other state bankers associations, submitted a comment letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week urging the agency to strengthen its proposed rule implementing the Genius Act to ensure a meaningful and enforceable prohibition on interest and yield payments tied to stablecoins.
The letters emphasized allowing stablecoins to function as de facto yield bearing instruments would erode the traditional deposit base that supports bank lending to households, small businesses and local communities, ultimately harming economic growth.
The letter may have had an impact as Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) have released legislative text to restrict interest and yield payments tied to stablecoins, which would allow legislation to create a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies to move forward, Punchbowl News reported on Monday.
In the joint letter, ABA and the state bankers associations warn that without stronger guardrails, stablecoin issuers could evade Congress’s explicit prohibition on yield by routing economically equivalent payments through exchanges and other third party intermediaries. While the OCC’s proposal establishes a helpful framework, the associations caution that gaps in the rule could allow yield like benefits to reach stablecoin holders indirectly — undermining the statute’s intent.
“The OCC should issue a broad prohibition because Congress required one, and because the evidence shows that anything less will not work,” the letter states.
Separately, ABA also submitted its own detailed comment letter to the OCC expanding on these concerns and urging the agency to enforce the Genius Act’s yield prohibition in a way that reflects how the stablecoin market actually operates. ABA’s letter stressed that most payment stablecoins are distributed through exchanges and intermediaries — not directly by issuers — and that allowing yield to flow through those channels would defeat Congress’ central policy choice.
Convention time is near! Register today
The Mother Road is calling your name, but we at the OBA would love to see you take a quick detour off of Route 66 during its centennial celebration this year to visi
t us for “Route 2026” – our annual OBA Convention!
Join us in Oklahoma City this May for the can’t-miss event of the year—packed with valuable sessions, networking, and a chance to reconnect with Oklahoma’s banking community. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge or simply enjoy a great time with fellow professionals, this event has something for every banker.
This year’s event will feature chats with FDIC Chairman Travis Hill, as well as visits with Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates Gentner Drummond and Charles McCall III!
The connections are real, the conversations are waiting and your name tag is practically begging for a lanyard. We may not have the same kitschy roadside attractions as Route 66 (blue whales, buried Cadillacs and round barns!), but we do have the ultimate gathering this side of the Golden Driller! Register now to secure your spot!
OBA calendar photo contest set
The OBA is proud to offer again the customized calendar, “Oklahoma Views & Vistas” from photographs of Oklahoma submitted by Oklahoma bankers and their family members and board of directors and their family members.
These calendars will be sold exclusively to banks across the state of Oklahoma for bankers to give to their customers to enjoy all year long!
If you or a family member is an amateur photographer and would like the opportunity to have your creativity displayed in homes and businesses across Oklahoma, the OBA has a great opportunity for you! Send us your photos of farms, barns, agricultural activities, historical Oklahoma locations, county fairs, carnivals, parades or festivals, fall colors, winter snowfalls, spring flowers or summer fun; any photo that shows the history and beauty of the great state of Oklahoma.
The deadline to submit photos is May 31. All photos submitted will be scored by a panel of judges. The top scoring photos will be featured in the 2027 Views & Vistas calendar! Click Here for a contest form!
2026 Directory of Banks now available for purchase
The latest edition of the OBA Directory of Banks is now available.
This essential resource includes financial data, important information about all Oklahoma banks, savings and loans, savings banks and holding companies, key personnel by function and title, answers to rules and regulations, legislators, state and national agencies, courthouses, fast-find index and much more!
Each Directory is $40 per copy for OBA-member bankers, and $60 for non-members.
Price breaks are available for larger bulk buys of more than nine copies: contact Thi Pham (thi@oba.com; 405-424-5252) for more information.
OBA education corner …
Singing along to George Strait last weekend made us reminisce about other 80s and 90s country singers. Here’s one: Patty Loveless. If you’re a fan of that era of country music, just go look up all the hits she had and it might surprise you. From Lonely Too Long to I’m That Kind of Girl and especially You Don’t Even Know Who I Am, she was an underrated hit-maker over a 10-plus year stretch. So, go take a look and you can feel bad if it makes you feel better, but make sure to keep up with what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- Best-Ever Consumer Checklists, May 13, webinar — Financial institutions that properly use these checklists will virtually eliminate compliance errors.
- Endorsements A to Z for Tellers, May 14, webinar — Understanding endorsements and handling checks is crucial to making sound check-cashing decision.
- Preventing Social Engineering and Identity Theft, May 15, webinar — Social engineering is the craft of manipulating people into giving away secret information or performing certain actions that may jeopardize their security.
- Trump Savings Account, May 19, webinar — These accounts are set to take effect in July 2026 and are designed to provide children with a valuable financial foundation as they reach legal adulthood.
- BSA and OFAC Annual Training for Staff, May 21, webinar — This session provides an excellent foundational program for your folks to explain the core program for BSA but also cover certain crimes that are hot buttons for regulators