As many of you know, the Oklahoma Business Resource Program – developed by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce – was scheduled to go live Friday. We heard from several bankers, with the program being first-come/first-served, there would be an initial rush of applicants, which would require bank employees to work all weekend to get the applications submitted. The OBA and …

I recently read an article written by Evan Sparks, who is the editor-in-chief of the ABA Banking Journal and vice president for publications at the American Bankers Association. His article hit home and stirred up some memories for me – some good, most bad. Years ago, I was the director of the D epartment of Banking and Finance in Nebraska. …

Rick Walker, vice chairman and CEO of Liberty National Bank in Lawton, was inducted as the 2020-21 chairman of the Oklahoma Bankers Association during a video conference on May 19. Walker has been with his bank for almost 15 years. He began his banking career in 1987 working in various aspects of lending and management. He holds a bachelor’s in …

The OBA has joined two different groups of trade associations in asking the Trump Administration to simplify the confusing forgiveness process for PPP loans. “As this issue of the Oklahoma Banker goes to press, we’re waiting for President Trump to sign H.R. 7070, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act,” OBA Executive Vice President/Government Relations Adrian Beverage said. “The Senate approved …

The OBA will be taking nominations for 2020 Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame inductees through the middle of July. The Hall of Fame was created by the OBA Board of Directors to honor individual bankers for their contributions to the banking industry and the State of Oklahoma. In addition, the Hall of Fame is intended to recognize bankers’ achievements on …

The Small Business Administration, along with the Treasury, released early this morning a new Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness application, which is more streamlined and easier for applicants to navigate. The new form, which is being referred to as an EZ Loan Forgiveness Application, can be downloaded by clicking here. The full Loan Forgiveness Application Form can be downloaded here. This …

Banks in Oklahoma have responded to #COVID19 by standing by communities and serving as a critical delivery system for government relief. The most gratifying response has come from customers. See more ways #AmericasBanks are helping: https://bit.ly/2X31zlU #OKBanksAreHelping

The State of Oklahoma will start its Oklahoma Business Relief Program next week. The program is similar to the Paycheck Protection Program, but at the state level. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Sean Kouplen asked the OBA to help spread the word about the program, as well as a pair of training calls next …

In This Issue… This week’s OBA Tuesday Teams call, featuring Rep. Tom Cole, available for download Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame taking nominations for 2020 inductees Bank performance shows some stress over first quarter as banks deal with COVID-19 OBA recommends Abrigo PPP Forgiveness & Administration solution Salary and Cash Compensation Survey looking for respondents OBA education corner …

This alert has two distinct and separate topics. Please read both and understand the first is an invitation for training on Thursday, and requires you sign up beforehand. Typically, you have to be an Infragard member to attend these meetings, but FBI has extended an offer to our bankers to attend this one without being a member. If afterward you …