News

To help with our bankers’ future planning, we’ve set the dates and locations for the upcoming Bankers’ Night Out events for the fall season. These events are valuable opportunities for bankers to network with peers and gain insight on happenings in the industry. There are six stops scheduled, including a new addition to our regular list of locations: Stillwater. All …

Good afternoon everyone. As you know, the CFPB has published its Request for Information that deals with small business lending and the Bureau’s plan to implement the requirements of Sec. 1071 of Dodd-Frank. Those requirements will require your bank to collect HMDA-like data on small business loans. I’ve been included in a meeting at the Bureau on Monday to visit …

Greetings from Guy By Guy Sims OBA Chairman I spent last week attending the ABA’s Summer Leadership Meeting in Boston. The meeting provided a great opportunity to network with other bankers from across the country as well as gain additional insight into what is going on in Washington, D.C.  On the regulatory reform front, it appears work is going on …

Congressional GOP: pursuing vote to overturn arbitration rule Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its Final Rule that, in essence, prohibits banks and other lenders from using mandatory arbitration clauses in their lending and other documents.   “That’s the bad news,” OBA President and CEO Roger Beverage said.  “The good news is that congressional Republicans are poised to use …

Greetings from Guy By Guy Sims OBA Chairman Developing the next generation of bankers is one of the biggest challenges many of us face in our banks. Technical training, practical experience and a broad view of the banking landscape is important in developing quality bankers that will lead our banks in the future.  Our board, both at my bank and …

Greetings from Guy By Guy Sims OBA Chairman While the health care debate is taking up all of the oxygen in Washington, the next item on the agenda for the Republican congress is tax reform.  The plan is to have the framework hammered out by September and have a bill passed and signed by year-end. The house has been working …

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued late last month the host state loan-to-deposit ratios that they will use to determine compliance with section 109 of the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994. These ratios replace the prior year’s ratios, …

Greetings from Guy By Guy Sims OBA Chairman Washington provided plenty of drama last week both political and personal. I would like to spend a few minutes discussing the horrific shooting at the congressional baseball game practice.  While the political rhetoric has been red hot for an extended period, it took this terrible event to produce some civility among our …

Our next round of individuals answering 20 random questions, ranging from informational, to entertaining to downright bizarre, is ready for your viewership! Three new interviews are now posted for everyone’s enjoyment. These interviews – with Terri Thompson of American Exchange Bank, Henryetta; Kyle Powell of First National Bank, Okmulgee; and Tyler Spradlin of SpiritBank, Sapulpa – will give insight on …