Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
In This Issue…
- From Adrian’s desk …
- FinCEN issues alert on Iranian money laundering
- ABA president/CEO callas on bankers to contact senators about stablecoin vote
- Emerging Leaders hosting reception at OKANA during convention
- Discounted subscription to CrimeDex available through OBA
- Participation opportunity open for salary survey
- Welcome new 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!
• • •
All the talk of early adjournment at the state Capitol appeared to be the same temperature as the air moving in this week! Regardless, it appears we do have a date set for Sine Die, which is (supposedly) this coming Friday.
Luckily, everything we’ve been working on has long since been dealt with, so it’s simply a matter of making sure nothing silly pops up in these final few days.
• • •
This time next week, we’ll be in the middle of our annual convention! I’d sure like to see as many bankers as possible at the OKANA Resort as we welcome a bevy of special guests, including gubernatorial candidates Gentner Drummond and Charles McCall III, as well as the chair of the FDIC, Travis Hill.
It’s still not too late to register! Click here for more information!
• • •
Nebraska won’t have to leave it’s home state to gain a Women’s College World Series berth this season, as the ‘Huskers will host both a regional and (if they win said regional) a super regional! Nebraska was awarded the No. 4 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, and, making things even more interesting, has a great chance of hosting the OSU Cowgirls in the super regional round … if both make it.
Let’s not count any chickens before they hatch.
FinCEN issues alert on Iranian money laundering
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert today to help financial institutions identify and stop funding streams and procurement networks supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.
The alert outlines how the IRGC facilitates and launders the proceeds of illicit oil sales by using networks of shell companies and financial facilitators, according to FinCEN. It includes red flags related to the IRGC’s oil smuggling, front company abuse and use of digital assets.
ABA president/CEO calls on bankers to contact Senators about stablecoin vote
In a letter to bank CEOs, American Bankers Association President and CEO Rob Nichols urged bank leaders across the country to join an industry-wide effort to convince senators to improve digital asset market structure legislation before a key committee vote this week.
Ahead of the scheduled Thursday vote by the Senate Banking Committee, Nichols called on bankers to contact their senators using ABA’s grassroots platform Secure American Opportunity and urge lawmakers to strengthen language preventing crypto companies from offering interest-like rewards on payment stablecoins. Without additional changes, Nichols warned, “we believe the current proposal would unnecessarily incentivize the flight of bank deposits into payment stablecoins, putting both economic growth and financial stability at risk.”
Emerging Leaders hosting reception at OKANA during convention
The OBA Emerging Leaders will host a come-and-go reception at Curveball Kitchen in OKANA Resort (639 First Americans Blvd) Monday, May 18 from 4:30-6 p.m.
This reception is hosted by the OBA Emerging Leaders but open to all bankers. If you’re attending the OBA Convention, graduating from the Academy or just wanting to spend time with your peers, we hope to see you there!
Discounted subscription to CrimeDex available through OBA
CrimeDex is an online network and alert system leveraged by thousands of fraud, loss prevention, and law enforcement professionals collaborating to prevent loss from complex financial crimes, organized retail crime, etc. CrimeDex allows professionals to share, search and leverage relevant information on criminal acts and subjects between businesses and law enforcement.
Oklahoma formerly relied on the COCHA/EPCOR Alert Service or email distribution groups to communicate alert information. The COCHA/Epcor Alert system concluded in 2022. Email distribution groups are difficult to manage and do not retain information in a searchable database. Within CrimeDex, however, we have a designated group for Oklahoma. When an event occurs at your bank, you can elect to distribute the alert information nationwide or only in Oklahoma.
To encourage membership and participation for the benefit of all Oklahoma banks, OBA and CrimeDex are offering a one-time-only discounted subscription rate to OBA-member banks who are not currently subscribed. This special offer reduces CrimeDex membership to $119.40 for a one-year subscription ending April 30, 2027. This offer does not apply to banks who are already subscribed to CrimeDex services. For new subscribers accepting this one-time offer, if you choose to continue your subscription after April 30, 2027, you will be invoiced at the regular subscription rate (currently $199/year).
A recent alert published on April 8 involving check fraud resulted in responses leading to the positive identification of the suspect by the very next day. Without this additional information, the case file would reflect an “unknown suspect” which would cause significant delays in identification and prosecution of the party causing the loss.
If you have an interest in accepting this special offer for new subscribers only, please reply to sharon@oba.com. We will only hold this offer until May 22, so please let us know as soon as possible.
Participation opportunity open for salary survey
OBA and Blanchard Consulting Group would like to invite our banks to participate in the 2026 Salary & Cash Compensation Survey!
The survey gathers salary and cash compensation (salary + annual cash incentive/bonus + commissions) for approximately 200 executive, middle management and staff level positions. Data cuts will be broken out by asset size and region when we have a large enough sample size.
Survey Pricing:
- OBA Member Participant: $450
- OBA Member Non-Participant: $1,050
Survey Participation Instructions:
- Click on this link (2026 Salary & Cash Compensation Survey Link) to access the survey participation file.
- Download the excel file and complete the survey.
- Email the completed survey to surveys@blanchardc.com or utilize the secure upload link (Secure Upload Link) by Friday, June 26.
Pre-order & Questions:
- For pre-ordering or any survey-related questions, please contact Laura Roth at surveys@blanchardc.com or 612-850-0153.
We thank you in advance for your participation and help in making our compensation surveys a continued success. We look forward to your participation.
Welcome new strategic members!
The OBA would like to welcome a trio of new strategic members to our family:
Associated Industries
Associated Industries and its related companies provide environmental consulting, remediation, underground storage tank services, drilling and infrastructure support for commercial properties, real estate transactions, redevelopment projects and regulatory compliance needs. Our services help banks and their clients evaluate, manage and address environmental concerns tied to lending, property ownership, foreclosures, development and site reuse.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact: Robert Lopez
4100 N Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: (405) 669-8457
Email: rlopez@stantechservices.com
Website: www.associated-industries.com
Saris AI
We provide back office automation specifically for banks. We automate the document heavy and manual processes surrounding consumer, commercial and mortgage lending. By sitting on top of existing systems, we take a compliance first approach regarding our technology. To put it simply, we help banks grow the bottom line without growing costs.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact: Megan Hasegawa or Patrick Fisher
250 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (650) 274-7695
Email: Megan.hasegawa@saris.ai or patrick@saris.ai
Website: Saris.ai
NCONTRACTS
Third party risk management solutions, compliance, risk vendor management, lending compliance.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact: Rashida Holmes
1221 Broadway, Suite 1900
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (800) 370-5552
Email: rashida.holmes@ncontracts.com
Website: www.ncontracts.com
OBA education corner …
Some of us had the opportunity to head to Atoka during the weekend to visit Reba McEntire’s restaurant there! Between enjoying giant bread platter orders and a hamburger physically bigger than we can open our mouths, we also listened to some good music from the Southeast Oklahoma’s favorite redhead! We prefer her old 80s stuff, with “One Promise Too Late” and “The Last One to Know” being a pair of our favorites, but rumor has it her hits from every decade are beloved! So tell whoever’s in New England that you love Reba, but make sure to keep up with what’s happening on the continuing education front, including the following:
- 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
- Loan Modifications: What Are The Compliance Issues?, May 26, webinar — Changing an existing loan can bring on a number of issues, including whether new disclosures must be provided, a new flood determination must be obtained, and many more. We’ll explore the many requirements that must be met.
- Understanding the Role of the Notary Public, May 27, webinar — In this webinar, you’ll learn about Notary Public responsibilities and notarial acts, basic laws and liability.
- Compliance for Commercial Lenders, May 28, webinar — This program will help commercial lenders understand which compliance requirements impact their department.