Lamb Elected GSBLSU Class Officer

Congratulations to Bank of Dawson’s Madison Lamb, who has been elected as a class officer for the 2023 class at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Lamb, a loan supervisor at the bank, continues the tradition of Georgia bankers taking on leadership roles during the school term. Also of note, Mike Allen of Cadence Bank serves as the school's president, is on the school’s executive committee and is a faculty member. Joe Nemetz of First American Bank & Trust, is also a faculty member. Both also play integral roles with the Georgia Banking School as members of the school’s board and faculty.

Fraud Alert

Fake Checks with Northeast Georgia Bank Name Circulating

Please be on the lookout for counterfeit checks bearing Northeast Georgia Bank’s name. See the image for an example of a fraudulent check. It is missing several security and formatting items including:

• Genuine check has white text on a blue background in the upper left margin “DOCUMENT CONTAINS INVISIBLE FLUORESCENT FIBERS AND CHEMICAL REACTIVE PROPERTIES”

• Genuine check in the top middle margin has white text on a black background “SECURE”

• Genuine check in the top right margin has white text on a blue background “PAPER CONTAINS TONER ADHESION PROTECTION, AND A METALLIC HOLOGRAM”

• Genuine check has a metallic ¾” X 5/8” hologram in the middle top third of the check which reads “SECURE UNCOMPROMISED CHECK SOLUTIONS” with the words “SECURITY*DELIVERY*VALUE”  in smaller text.

• Genuine check has the stylized wavy text watermark “SECURE”

• Genuine check has white text on a blue background on the right side margin “HEAT SENSITIVE RED IMAGE DISAPPEARS WITH HEAT”

• Genuine check has white text on a blue background on the left side margin “TRUE WATERMARKED PAPER . HOLD TO LIGHT TO VIEW”

• Genuine check has a solid pink circle in the lower right side with the words “HEAT SENSITIVE COLOR FADS WITH HEAT” written around the circle. Pink circle has a white keyhole logo in the middle.

Example of a fraudulent check

If presented with any NGB official check missing the above features, contact Henry Kesler at hkesler@northeastgabank.com or 706.356.4444 to verify.

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Building & Maintaining a Successful Bank Travel Club

How to Hit the Road with Your Customers and Prospects

By David Bittner, The Cruise & Vacation Authority, GBA Associate Member

Many banks across the country operate bank sponsored travel clubs. The purpose of these loyalty clubs is to retain current customers as well as attract new ones. Banks which feature these travel clubs have found that they accomplish these goals as well as successfully marketing a wide array of banking services to existing clients. Bank travel clubs also help banks build a better relationship with their clients and help to create a community between their clients. Read on here for a deep dive into the additional benefits gained for your bank and clients by implementing a travel club. Contact me at david@tcava.com or 678.903.0213 to learn more.

Women in Banking Conference – Make Sure Your August Calendar is Set

With the beginning of summertime barely upon us, it’s hard to think about the dog-days of summer in August, but we invite all women bankers to make time on your August calendar for the Women in Banking Conference. This annual gathering of GBA women bankers, Associate Members, and Strategic Partners will be Aug. 11-12 at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Braselton. With excellent educational and personal development sessions and informal networking time to foster new and burgeoning relationships, it’s no surprise this conference continues to grow in popularity. NOTE: The original GBA block has sold out, so we are adding more rooms to our block for new registrants. New registrants should go ahead and register for the meeting, and watch the event website for a rooms announcement soon. Sponsorships are still available; click here for details. Speaking of sponsors – thanks to our wonderful associate members who are supporting the conference in this way: McNair, McLemore, Middlebrooks & Co.; Abram Armored; FHLB Atlanta; Mauldin & Jenkins; Southern Bank Equipment & ATMs; Troutman Pepper; Warren Averett CPAs and Advisors; and Starfield and Smith, PC, Attorneys at Law. Questions? Contact GBA’s Kathy Friestad.

Compliance Alliance Question of the Week

Question: We have an instance where a customer is wanting to open a benefit account for a fellow church member whose wife has recently become ill. His initial intention was to set the account up under his name and tax ID information and he would direct the funds to the individuals. However, our institution does not typically open these types of accounts and we're hoping for recommendations and/or what is consistent in the banking industry for these types of benefit accounts.

Answer: There are several methods that may be used when opening these types of accounts. Click here for the answer.

Click here to read more in the Compliance Alliance Newsletter and visit www.compliancealliance.com for more helpful Q&A resources.

Explore What Choice in Debit Looks Like with GBA Partner Discover Debit

A robust debit card portfolio can help you generate more revenue right now. Has your bank’s debit card program been on autopilot for too long? VISA and MasterCard will likely fight to keep your business, but Discover Debit wants to invest in your bank, your customers and your community. Recently-introduced cardholder benefits like credit monitoring and dark web monitoring backed by Experian® mean customers can feel more secure with their new debit card. By implementing Discover’s debit card program, you will also realize an immediate impact on your interchange income and expense. Discover® Debit is the only program that delivers superior economics, simplified rules, fee transparency and unmatched program flexibility. To find out more, contact Jim Lumadue, at jimlumadue@pulsenetwork.com, 716.743.0118.

Webinars

Loan Doc, SAR, BSA, Robbery and HR Upcoming

Here’s a sampling of upcoming webinars.

• June 6: How to Craft an Effective Commercial Loan Write-Up

• June 7: Mortgage Origination Compliance - 2 Part Series

• June 7: SAR Line-by-Line

• June 8: ACH OnDemand Seminar with Live Streaming

• June 8: Current Matters and Common Questions Impacting the Call Report

• June 8: BSA: CIP and CDD

• June 9: Teller Compliance Issues

• June 9: Regulation Z Rules for Home Equity Lines of Credit

• June 10: Effective Documentation for Employment Issues

• June 13: Robbery Basics & Beyond

• June 14: Bi-Monthly Compliance Briefing - June 2022

• June 15: Dealing with Subpoenas

• June 15: Elder Financial Exploitation

• June 16: Schedule RC-R - 2 Part Series

• June 16: Deposit Regulation Update - Second Quarter

See the full slate of upcoming webinars here.

GBA Strategic Partner BankTalentHQ

The central feature of BankTalentHQ is its national bank-job board. Other key benefits include: resume search access, regional and national reach for your open positions, frequent special offers and custom sales/coaching programs. Visit BankTalentHQ to learn more. See the open positions in Georgia here, or search regionally or nationally here.

GBA Job Bank

GBA will post open positions, free of charge, for GBA members. See the open positions in Georgia here. We will also post professional summaries for bank-job seekers on our Bankers Available page. To make the process easy and answer any questions, we've developed this Q&A. Please contact Katina Prokos, 404.420.2021.

GBA’s Career Paths for Bankers™

GBA’s Career Paths for Bankers™ is the most unique, organized and easy-to-use career development resource available for bankers and banks. GBA’s pioneering career development resource is unlike any other in the banking industry. Click here to start mapping your banking career today.

Why Do People Choose Careers in Banking?

Whatever their talents, interests and educational background, there is a career in banking for them. Here are few good reasons to share with folks you know.

We want to share all the good work GBA member banks, bankers, Associate Members and Bank Counsel Section members do to support their communities. Read all about the Community Connections our banks and members have below. Share your Community Connections by sending a brief paragraph and any photos of activities you have to us and we'll publish them at our earliest opportunity. Send information to Katina Prokos and David Oliver, or if your company would like to sponsor this content, let us know. Here's our latest installment:

Atlanta - Cadence Bank Cadence Bank Foundation has made a $15,000 contribution to Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, Inc. (ACE), supporting the organization's efforts to help borrowers create and grow sustainable businesses. ACE will use the contribution to provide capital, coaching and connections to small businesses in underserved communities, fueling job creation and growth.

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Newsmakers

 

Atlanta - Capital City Bank

Michael Jones has joined the bank as a commercial lender.

 

Bainbridge - First National Bank

Kristy Harrell has joined the team as senior vice president and Chief Operations Officer. Read more here.

 

Barnesville - United Bank

The bank is celebrating 50 years serving the Barnesville community. The bank opened its doors on June 1, 1972, as Lamar State Bank and later changed its name to United Bank. Read more here.

 

Cordele - Colony Bank

The bank announced that banking veterans Bob Evans and Terry Ann Brake will retire on June 30, 2022. Read more here.

 

Moultrie - Moultrie Bank & Trust

Georgia’s most recently chartered bank opened to the public on May 9, and Jim Brown and Jennifer Stalvey have joined the bank team as lenders. Brown will focus on agriculture and mortgage lending, and Stalvey will focus on commercial lending.

 

Sandy Springs - Signature Bank of Georgia

The bank unveiled its new logo this week.

 

Watkinsville - Oconee State Bank

The bank this week announced its expansion into the Macon market, serving Central Georgia. Robert J. “Robby” Redmond is named as the Senior Vice President, Macon Community President. Read more here.

 

Bloomington, MN - United Bankers’ Bank (UBB)

Katie Ferrell, CRCM, CAMS, and Sandy Panella, CRCM, have joined the UBB Compliance Services Team. Read more here.

 

 

Jones	Harrell	United Bank	Evans	Brake

 

 

Signature Bank of Georgia

 

 

Brown	Redmond	Ferrell	Panella

 

 

Read All About It: Send Us Your News

Please remember to include the Georgia Bankers Association on the list of recipients for announcements about promotions, new employees and special recognition your bank has received. We want to share your news with your colleagues across the state. Please forward your announcements and photos to GBA's Katina Prokos.