7 minute read
President’s Column
Another year draws to a close – and what a year it has been! This time last year you would have needed the very best crystal ball to see the seismic changes which the world was due to undergo during the last 12 months. Whether the election of Donald Trump, and new heads of the OCC, FDIC and CFPB filled you with hope or despair, those events are behind us now and we have to refocus on doing our best for the future. Not to engage is simply “not an option,” as the old saying goes. Change is always a challenge and the changes we face are on a monumental scale and at an increasing pace, so the next few months and years will keep us busy, if nothing else. Over the last year, we have organized a busy program of events which have been well attended and covered a wide range of topics; our membership has shrunk due to consolidation, but I am pleased to say that our banks grew larger assets, larger deposits, and larger number of employees. The staff re-envisioned the Annual Convention and made it a great networking and impactful Closing Out 2017
event. The addition of Game Night to start it off was an overwhelming success and this year’s Game Night will be even better. We also have attracted a number of younger members, which bodes well for the future. 2018 is poised to deliver the promise for great economic growth, tax cuts and at long last meaningful Reg Reform. I would like take this opportunity to wish you all a very restful and revitalizing Christmas. I would like to wish all members of the Arkansas Bankers Association, our Associate Members, Partners and Vendors the Happiest of Holiday Seasons. I would like to thank you for supporting the work we have been doing to celebrate and expand this wonderfully complex and endlessly changing industry we all work in. Let’s close out 2017 celebrating the Christmas spirit with our families and friends. Here are some favorite toasts to help get you in the Christmas Spirit: “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” - Burton Hills
PRESIDENT & CEO BILL HOLMES
BILL HOLMES PRESIDENT/CEO 501.978.3602 | bill.holmes@arkbankers.org ABA STAFF
CARLA BRINKLEY VP/CONTROLLER 501.978.3608 | carla.brinkley@arkbankers.org
AVA F. ROBERTS VP/DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 501.978.3606 | ava.roberts@arkbankers.org
JESSICA SAHENE MARKETING COORDINATOR 501.978.3609 | jessica.sahene@arkbankers.org
BARRY JACKSON SVP/COO 501.978.3613 | barry.jackson@arkbankers.org
KAMI T. COLEMAN VP/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 501.978.3614 | kami.coleman@arkbankers.org
TRACI LOGSDON DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS 501.978.3603 | traci.logsdon@arkbankers.org
BRENDA SCARBROUGH ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 501.978.3607 | brenda.scarbrough@arkbankers.org
“Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.” - Richelle E. Goodrich “May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” - Joey Adams “May all your joys be true joys, and all your pain Champagne.” - Anonymous And some favorite facts: Given the different time zones, Santa has 31 hours to deliver gifts, but his reindeer really have to fly, since that means visiting 823 homes per second. Household waste increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. In the United States, trash from wrapping paper and shopping bags totals 4+ million tons. The U.S. Postal Service delivers 20+ billion cards and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Rudolph first alighted on the holiday scene in 1939, when in-store Santas at Montgomery Ward stores distributed 2.4 million copies of the booklet “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” written by Robert L. May, a copywriter for the company. After executives vetoed the original name, Rollo, May’s young daughter suggested Rudolph.
The first candy cane dates back to 1670 in Germany. According to holiday lore, a choirmaster distributed sugar sticks bent into the shape of a shepherds’ crook to quiet his young singers during Christmas services. Today more than 1.76 billion candy canes are made for the holidays, enough to stretch from Santa Claus, Indiana, to North Pole, Alaska, and back again 32 times. Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” between October and November of 1843. The story was a hit, selling 6,000 copies by Christmas Day. And lastly some favorite quotes: “Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and receipts for all major purchases.” - Bridger Winegar “Let’s be naughty and save Santa the trip.” - Gary Allan “What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.” - Phyllis Diller “I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.” - Bernard Manning
Merry Christmas & a prosperous and happy New Year.
DAVE DICKSON | CHAIRMAN Union Bank & Trust Co., Monticello JIM CARGILL | TREASURER Arvest Bank, Little Rock CATHY OWEN | CHAIRMAN-ELECT Eagle Bank, Little Rock SEAN WILLIAMS | PAST CHAIRMAN First National Bank of Wynne, Wynne ABA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
ROB ROBINSON IV | VICE CHAIRMAN Simmons Bank, El Dorado BILL HOLMES | PRESIDENT/CEO Arkansas Bankers Association, Little Rock
JOHNNY ADAMS | GROUP 2 First Security Bank, Conway PHIL BALDWIN | GROUP 2 Citizens Bank, Batesville JEFF BRECKLEIN | GROUP 1 Integrity First Bank, Jonesboro GENE CRAWFORD | GROUP 5 Citizens Bank, Batesville DAVID DOWD | GROUP 1 Cross County Bank, Wynne TROY DUKE | GROUP 5 Gateway Bank, Rison NATHAN GAIRHAN | GROUP 3 United Bank, Springdale DON GIBSON | GROUP 3 Legacy National Bank, Springdale CHRIS GOSNELL | GROUP 4 Farmers Bank & Trust Co., Magnolia ABA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TOM GRUMBLES | GROUP 2 First Service Bank, Greenbrier SCOTT HANCOCK | GROUP 3 Centennial Bank, Fayetteville DARWIN HENDRIX | GROUP 4 Bank of Delight, Delight DAVID JESSUP | GROUP 5 DeWitt Bank & Trust, DeWitt WILSON MOORE | GROUP 2 Bank of America, Little Rock
JERRY MORGAN | GROUP 1 Focus Bank, Jonesboro LORI ROSS | GROUP 4 Citizens Bank, Arkadelphia JASON TENNANT | GROUP 3 Cornerstone Bank, Eureka Springs LYNN WRIGHT | GROUP 2 Regions Bank, Little Rock
2018 ABA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS SUMMIT APRIL 23 – 25 WASHINGTON, D.C.
America’s banks are vital to a strong economy. Let’s make sure Washington knows it.
Join fellow bankers from across the country to educate Congress and regulators on the need for commonsense regulatory reform—reform that will help America’s banks better serve their communities, grow the economy and unleash America’s potential.
ABA Professional Development Webinars... Provide the option of training as many employees as you wish for one price, all from the convenient location of your home institution!
Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) Wednesday, January 3, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Best-Ever Compliance Checklists for Consumer Loans Wednesday, January 3, 2017 1:30 p.m. – :30 p.m.
Digital Marketing: Deep Dive Tuesday, January 9, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Implementing Beneficial Owners on Legal Entities Tuesday, January 9, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Incident Response – Plan to Fail Well Wednesday, January 10, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cash Management: Work Together to Generate More Fee Income Wednesday, January 10, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Opening Accounts for Nonresident Aliens Thursday, January 11, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Basic Personal & Business Tax Return Analysis Friday, January 12, 2017 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Advertising Compliance Tuesday, January 16, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Loan Underwriting Mistakes Tuesday, January 16, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Key Ratio Analysis Wednesday, January 17, 2017 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
CRE Appraisals: Appraisal Components & More Wednesday, January 17, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Handling Loan Applications: What Can Go Wrong? Thursday, January 18, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Online Deposit Account Opening Thursday, January 18, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Health Savings Accounts: It’s Time to Pay Attention!! Tuesday, January 23, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A Business Development Officer’s Guide to Selling Wednesday, January 24, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Teller Compliance Issues: Reg CC, UCC 3 & 4 and CTRs Tuesday, January 30, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Basic Business Entities & Other Commercial Borrowers Wednesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Dealing with Subpoenas, Summonses, Garnishments & More Wednesday, January 31, 2017 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
FFIEC Information Security Handbook Review Thursday, February 8, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Ransomware and Cyber Extortion Thursday, February 22, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cybercrime and the Dark Web Thursday, March 15, 2018 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
