Community Banker articles from December 2001

Community Banker archives from December 2001

One sure thing. (front matter).
December 1, 2001... We're all looking for it. It's human nature. We're all seeking a sense of certainty in these uncertain times. As America's Community Bankers President and Chief Executive Officer Diane Casey said at the 2001 Annual Conference, "What...

The divine comedy of a lone female bank director. (personal profiles).
December 1, 2001... "Personal Profiles" explores what it means to be a community banker. We're looking for your deeds, thoughts and experiences in this space each month. Tell us what you find most rewarding about being a community banker or why you chose it as...

President Bush applauds community bankers' tenacity. (nationwide news).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... President Bush applauded America's Community Bankers on November 5 for helping to "defeat the terrorists' attempt to harm the American way of life by getting back to business." Due to the state of national emergency, Bush was unable to...

GSEs reach out to community bankers. (nationwide news).
December 1, 2001... Top executives from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac told ACB convention goers in November that the two GSEs are devoting more resources to help community bankers tap the secondary markets. Fannie Mae's Vice Chair Jamie Gorelick said the...

Responding to the challenges of today's community bank. (professional development).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... America's Community Bankers is a national leader in professional development. When your bank needs to strengthen the knowledge of its management and staff, or keep up-to-date on industry issues and trends in this increasingly competitive,...

2002 America's Community Bankers officers. (nationwide news).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 1, 2001... America's Community Bankers Chairman Curtis L. Hage (seated, center)--chairman and chief executive officer of Home Federal Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D.--was elected to lead the 2002 officer's team at the November ACB Annual Convention in New...

ACB Housing Partners raise rafters for Habitat. (nationwide news).
December 1, 2001... Some 100 volunteers and America's Community Bankers' staff members hefted hammers to construct a home along the outskirts of New Orleans in November. Through Habitat for Humanity and the ACB Housing Partners Foundation, the construction...

ACB Alliance for offering reverse mortgages. (national notes).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... ACB Alliance for Offering Reverse Mortgages. A recent alliance through ACB sudsidiary ACB Partners Inc. can help ACB members offer seniors a complete line of reverse mortgage products. "This alliance provides ACB members with a unique and...

Hoosier Bankers honor Bochnowski. (national notes).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Hoosier Bankers Honor Bochnowski. The Indiana Bankers Association honored Immediate Past Chairman David Bochnowski at this year's ACB Annual Convention in New Orleans with a formal dinner and plaque commemorating his outstanding dedication to...

Seidman calls industry constructive, supportive. (national notes).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Seidman Calls Industry Constructive, Supportive. Ellen Seidman, the departing director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, took stock of her accomplishments and thanked America's Community Bankers for the support they have shown her in four...

Kemp commends ACB Housing Partners. (national notes).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Kemp Commends ACB Housing Partners. Jack Kemp, co-director of Empower America and former HUD Secretary, addressed delegates at one of the ACB Annual Convention General Sessions, encouraging community bankers to continue their work on housing...

FDIC chairman Powell in person: from banker to regulator. (Cover Story).
December 1, 2001... Donald E. Powell became chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. August 29, capping nearly 40 distinguished years as a community banker in Texas. It's a banking career that might never have happened but for an eager young man's...

Hugging the profit curve: the phenomenal five strategies community banks can use to improve their bottom lines.
December 1, 2001... Editor's Note: This article is the second of a four-part series on tactics to help the average community bank increase its bottom line. Last month Community Banker examined "Fee Generation Strategies." Next month we explore the importance of...

Curt Hage takes the helm: America's Community Bankers' new chairman brings local banking perspectives to Washington.
December 1, 2001... America's Community Bankers' new Chairman, Curt Hage, was sworn in this November. As the chairman and chief executive officer of Home Federal Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D., Hage brings more than 30 years of banking experience to the organization....

The power of charter choice: banks weigh options to match business needs.
December 1, 2001... As his small business loan portfolio swelled, David Wells started mulling whether a federal thrift charter was the right one for his institution. It wasn't, concluded the president and chief executive officer of what is now Key Bank and Trust...

The treasury's suggestion box: Assistant Secretary Sheila C. Bair wants your thoughts.
December 1, 2001... Community Banker recently spoke with one of President Bush's new appointees, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions Sheila C. Bair, to explore her views on the banking industry. A native of Independence, Kan.,...

Help--we're drowning in cash! (investment management).
December 1, 2001... How times have changed in the last year. Twelve months ago we couldn't find a deposit anywhere. Loan demand was soaring. The number one question was: "Where can we find liabilities at rates under 7 percent?" Now we have too much cash,...

LIBOR: more than just a mortgage benchmark. (money & credit).
December 1, 2001... Some bankers may be perplexed at hearing more and more about LIBOR and LIBOR-indexed financial products. Most people are aware that LIBOR has become a fairly common interest-rate index for ARM loans, but other than that, LIBOR's importance as a...

HUD illuminates policy issues for mortgage lenders. (compliance review).
December 1, 2001... On June 15, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Culpepper v. Irwin Mortgage Corp. that may have significant consequences for mortgage lenders. Culpepper v. Irwin is a nationwide class action case brought under the...

Rethinking overdrafts: a new attitude, a new service and a new source of income. (bank solutions).
December 1, 2001... Turning an old banking paradigm on its head can be useful. Consider, for instance, the way bankers have typically thought about overdrafts. At a recent America's Community Bankers "Best Practices" session, one of the most popular topics was...

Emergencies, delays and disruptions: a refresher course. (legal briefs).
December 1, 2001... The events of Sept. 11 have breathed new life and given meaning to rarely considered provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and federal bank regulations that account for the impact of war, disruption in communications and other...

Anti-terrorism law's technology requirements. (technology report).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Under the new USA-PATRIOT Act, many banks will experience a temporary, dramatic increase in the number of Currency Transaction Reports filed. Eventually, according to America's Community Bankers' Steve Verdier and other experts, this paperwork...

Web watch.(www.federalreserveeducation.org)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... www.federalreserveeducation.org As part of the recent push for financial literacy, the Federal Reserve Board launched an interactive Web site in September. "The Federal Reserve has actively promoted economic education and better public...

House reviews Internet gambling bill. (technology report).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill that would prevent Internet gambling establishments from using checks, credit cards and other financial instruments to collect debts incurred as a result of illegal Internet gambling. ...

BITS releases guide for managing outsourcing risk. (technology report).(Bureau of Information Technology Services)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... A new industry guideline, recently released by BITS, the Technology Group for the Financial Services Roundtable, offers tips for financial institutions on selecting and managing information technology service provider relationships. The...

Community bank salaries increase, ACB survey finds. (surveys & trends).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Average bank staff salaries increased 4 percent in the year ending March 31, according to America's Community Bankers' 2001 Compensation Survey. This year's survey data shows "a steady trend to link salary increases to individual...

Losses from identity theft climbing. (Ahead of the Curve).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... As the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States, identity theft threatens to cause significant damage to financial institutions bottom lines, according to a recent report by Celent Communications. "While identity theft has...

Privacy expenses? The cost of Gramm-Leach-Bliley. (surveys & trends).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Compliance with the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 cost financial institutions a dollar per customer on average, according to a recent America's Community Bankers' survey of approximately 180 community banks. The ACB...

Data bank.(miscellaneous statistics)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... cyber terrorism In 1998, 73 percent of computer users had experienced a virus. In 1999, 77 percent reported problems with a virus. The Code Red Virus had a $ 2.6 billion economic impact worldwide. consumer trends Of U.S....