Community Banker articles from December 2000

Community Banker archives from December 2000

Choices Ahead.(community banks and insurance sales)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... With the approach of the conclusion of 2000, it's only fitting to look ahead. For community banks, such a glimpse reveals a broad landscape of strategic choices, options and opportunities. Take insurance, traditionally a somewhat staid...

A Year of Growth.(America's Community Bankers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... One year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. No matter how I measure it, my first year as president of ACB has just flown. And what a year it has been! When I learned that I had been selected for this position, I was thrilled. To be charged...

ACB Officers Look to the Future.(America's Community Bankers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... During ACB's Annual Convention, Immediate Past Chairman William A. Fitzgerald declared that ACB's "can-do year" under his chairmanship exceeded expectations. "This has been a year in which we renewed our commitment to becoming stronger and...

Former FDIC Chairman Heifer to Advise ACB.(America's Community Bankers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Former FDIC Chairman Ricki Helfer will advise ACB on the deposit insurance reform issues raised in the agency's Options Paper issued earlier this year, said new ACB Chairman David A. Bochnowski (chairman, president and CEO of Peoples Bank of...

Tanoue Highlights Reasons for Insurance Reform.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... FDIC Chairman Donna Tanoue highlighted the reasons for posit insurance reform and encouraged ACB members to participate in the policy-making process during ACB's annual convention. One reason why reform is needed is to merge the Bank...

OTS Director Highlights Opportunities and Risks.(Office of Thrift Supervision; community banks)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Office of Thrift Supervision Director Ellen Seidman pointed out today's opportunities and risks for community banks during ACB's annual convention. Opportunities for community banks "have only gotten better," she noted, highlighting the...

ACB has redesigned its Internet Web page, and has a new look to go with its' new address.(America's Community Bankers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... ACB has redesigned its Internet Web page, and has a new look to go with its' new address. If you missed ACB's Annual Convention in Seattle, you can watch the Convention Cybercast and read the Convention Daily coverage on ACB's new Web site at...

On Halloween, Fair, Isaac and Co. Inc. introduced a Web-based FICO Guide service.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... On Halloween, Fair, Isaac and Co. Inc. introduced a Web-based FICO Guide service, offering consumers "a more personalized and easy-to-understand explanation" of the credit bureau risk scores than was presently available, along with suggestions...

While the frequency of risky underwriting practices has not reached highs from two years ago, risk in underwriting practices remain a concern.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... While the frequency of risky underwriting practices has not reached highs from two years ago, risk in underwriting practices remain a concern, according to a recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. report that covers the six months ending Sept....

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have each issued preliminary operational and functional specifications for single-family electronic mortgages.
December 1, 2000... Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have each issued preliminary operational and functional specifications for single-family electronic mortgages that lenders sell to and service for them. See www.freddiemac.com and www.fanniemae.com for more...

Mortgage industry profitability declined in the first half of 2000.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Mortgage industry profitability declined in the first half of 2000, according to a recently released Peer Group Roundtables conducted by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and the STRATMOR Group. For complete study information, see...

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo has released a plan to save over one million homeowners with Federal Administration-insured mortgages over $1 billion annually.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo has released a plan to save over one million homeowners with Federal Administration-insured mortgages over $1 billion annually. The Homebuyers Savings Plan will reduce up-front insurance...

portals.(internet banking)
December 1, 2000... competing for your bank's customers? Yahoo! Microsoft and Others Want Your Customers to Use Them to Pay Their Bills and Access Financial Services Online. What Does This Mean for Your Community Bank? It made the news in September:...

A Lifetime of Community Service.(David A. Bochnowski)
December 1, 2000... At first glance, the resume of America's Community Bankers' new chairman, David A. Bochnowski, might make some people wonder. He has an undergraduate degree in foreign service and a master's in African studies. After a stint in Vietnam as an...

Community Bank Insurance Sales The Outlook.
December 1, 2000... What Are the Prospects For Community Banks Considering Entering the Insurance Business? Are community banks being left behind as the bank-insurance business lurches forward? Perhaps. While nine of every 10 U.S. banks with greater than $10...

Modernization: How Has it Fared?(a history of Federal Home Loan Bank legislation)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... A report card on-the Federal Home Loan Bank System modernization and its affect on community banks One long-standing sticking point in the process of financial modernization was the argument that it didn't seem to offer much to...

measuring Performance your way.(service helps bankers evaluate their company's performance)
December 1, 2000... Thanks to a new strategic partnership between ACB Partners Inc. and Banclntelligence.com, members of America's Community Bankers will be able to use a powerful new Internet tool to evaluate their institutions' performance by comparing the...

Trends in Affordable Housing.(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... An Examination of the Factors Shaping Affordable Housing By all accounts the United States is enjoying the longest period of economic growth in the country's history. Since 1992, more than 22 million jobs have been created, and in April,...

Examining M&A Accounting and OTS Mutual-to-Stock Conversion Regulations.(mergers and acquisitions; Office of Thrift Supervision)
December 1, 2000... This report, a new quarterly feature of Community Banker, summarizes the ACB Market Maker Group's quarterly conference call. The Market Maker Group is primarily made up of analysts that follow community bank stocks. These conference calls are...

Market Maker Profile.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... In each report of the Market Maker Group's quarterly conference call, we present a profile of participating organizations. In this issue, we look at Sandier O'Neill & Partners LP, an associate member of ACB. Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP,...

A General Reserve Account for IRR?(interest rate risk)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Community-based financial institutions are exposed to many kinds of risk. Collectively, the term "enterprise risk" is used to describe the combination of credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, reputation risk, transaction risk, legal...

The High Net-Worth Customer: An Opportunity for Community Banks?
December 1, 2000... There has been a great deal of discussion about financial planning, asset management and investment counseling for individuals as the next great opportunity in financial services for community banks. It can potentially be a valuable business...

A Look at Compliance in 2001.
December 1, 2000... As we enter the 21st century, one area that has not diminished in importance for insured institutions is compliance. In fact, in many ways the compliance area has taken on renewed emphasis. Compliance with consumer protection and anti-money...

Commercial Mortgage Lending for the Community Bank.(ACB Partners Inc. forms alliance with MortgageRamp)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... At some point in time, we have all been approached by customers or prospects for financing assistance that requires a commercial mortgage. Depending on policies, loan limits and in-house expertise, we sometimes need to look outside the bank...

The Web: A Wide World of Opportunities and Challenges.(impact of the Internet on banking services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Seven years ago, there were fewer than 1,000 Web sites in the world and very few people knew exactly what the World Wide Web was. Today, there are millions of Internet sites, Web lingo permeates popular culture and the notion of working on...

The Technology Risk Factor.(risk management of information technology)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... While technology can reduce risk, it can also increase hazard if not properly managed. Directors are "increasingly seeing that there's a huge risk factor in information technology," largely as a result of the lessons learned from the Y2K...

Strategic Planning for Technology Growth.(Hugh Hayman, senior vice president of US Banking Alliance Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Although "community banks are usually pretty good with business planning, they are a little more sporadic with their technology planning," said Hugh Hayman, senior vice president of US Banking Alliance Inc., during ACB's Annual Convention and...

Generational Customer Service Tips.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Community bankers--already known for their customer service--can know, serve, retain and attract customers even better by understanding some basic generational qualities, according to Lynne C. Lancaster and David A. Stillman of BridgeWorks, who...

Investor Relations: The Board's Role and Responsibility.(Andre Shih, senior vice president of Stern Stewart & Co.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... At the heart of any good investor relations program is open communication between a firm's board of directors and the investment community, said Andre Shih, senior vice president of Stern Stewart & Co., while speaking at ACB's Directors'...

data bank.(survey and economic data on banking, commerce, taxation and the Internet)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... taxes Fifty-seven percent of Americans fear the IRS more than God. Only 11.7 percent of 2000 tax returns were marked "yes" for giving $ 3 to presidential elections. internet Seventy-four percent of affluent retail banking...