Community Banker articles from September 2003

Community Banker archives from September 2003

Basel II: a high-risk proposition.(president's message)
September 1, 2003... Capital rules are slated to change again. Since 1988, a risk-based capital measure has been in place. Known as Basel, named after the city in Switzerland where the negotiations occurred, this international capital standard is being revised....

Surviving the mortgage boom.(front matter)
September 1, 2003... Are your loan officers feeling overwhelmed? If they are, that's not surprising. Most people in the mortgage industry today are swamped with historically high levels of originations. And as community banks face off with mortgage brokers and...

Working with public officials.(grassroots)
September 1, 2003... Editor's Note: Grassroots is a new column designed to tell the stories of bankers who have made an impression on America's political landscape. If you have experiences to share, please contact James Swann at (202) 857-3198. At Washington...

Face to face with Freddie Mac's Paul Peterson.(view from the top)
September 1, 2003... Paul T. Peterson was elevated to chief operating officer of Freddie Mac in June, amid the accounting restatement that claimed the jobs of five of the company's top executives. As this issue went to press Freddie Mac's Board of Directors...

New ACB partner offers BOLI program for community banks.(ACB news)
September 1, 2003... In ongoing efforts to expand opportunities for members, America's Community Bankers has announced an endorsement of a bank owned life insurance program being offered through Meyer-Chatfield Corp. Meyer-Chatfield, headquartered in...

ATM Safety and Security tips.(ACB news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A new brochure available from America's Community Bankers, "ATM Safety & Security," offers community banks an inexpensive way to educate their customers about ATM safety. With the electronic revolution Has come unprecedented banking...

ACB and NACD enhance relationship.(ACB news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... America's Community Bankers has enhanced its corporate governance package for members with renewal of its two-year relationship with the National Association of Corporate Directors. For members of ACB who are interested in joining NACD, a...

ACB opposes changing customer ID rule.(ACB news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... In August, America's Community Bankers urged the Treasury Department to leave the USA PATRIOT Act's final customer identification rule unchanged. Requiring the photocopying of IDs would not make customer ID procedures more rigorous, but...

FFIEC guidance for business continuity planning.(Compliance Corner)
September 1, 2003... Planning for the unexpected has change substancially in recent years, and Financial institution must be prepared for a variety of disruptions, according to guidance issued by the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council. While the...

Looming compliance deadlines draw near for new and revised regulations.(nationwide news)
September 1, 2003... This year, financial institutions have faced a slew of new and revised implementing regulations for compliance, and a number of deadlines for these changes are fast approaching. On the top of the list are the USA PATRIOT Act's consumer...

Director involvement in compliance management: finding the right balance for your institution.(nationwide news)
September 1, 2003... When it comes to bank's compliance management program, the behavior of the board of directors can greatly influence the assessment of the institution by bank examiners. While examiners don't look to the board of directors for active...

Fortune magazine finds Fannie, Freddie, Wamu among best companies for minority workers.(nationwide news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are among the nation's top 10 companies for minorities, according to Fortune's "50 Best Companies for Minorities." At Fannie Mae, almost 44 percent of all employees are minorities, helping the...

Professional development: responding to the challenges of today's community bank.(nationwide news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... professional development Responding to The Challenges of Today's Community Bank Executive & Strategic Issues Annual Convention, Directors' Forum & Market Expo Oct. 19-22 National Winter Management Conference ...

Correction.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2003... A July article, "Marketing Your Investment Know-How," misspelled the name of Susquehanna Bancshares and gave the wrong location for its holding company. It is based in Lititz, Pa.

FTC's National Do Not Call Registry now available.(nationwide news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry will become available to telemarketers as of Sept. 1, and compliance with the list is required as of Oct.1. After the Oct.1 deadline, telemarketers will only be able to contact...

FDIC's John Reich: point man on reg burden relief.
September 1, 2003... After face-to-face meetings with more than 170 bankers and industry experts, FDIC Vice Chairman Reich, 63, says he is optimistic that the efforts of his regulatory burden relief task force will effect real change for banks in the near future....

Keeping employees happy: retention through perks and benefits.
September 1, 2003... It has been said that no company is better than the employees it keeps. Most community bankers would agree that the impression made by our employees is of utmost importance, and that training employees to provide a high level of service is...

2003 Annual Convention, Market Expo & Directors' Forum.
September 1, 2003... October 19-22, 2003 Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Join, us in Las Vegas--The Entertainment Capital of the World! ACB's 2003 Annual Convention blends a powerful leadership program with the natural beauty of the desert and...

Vying for home loans: what works for market leaders.
September 1, 2003... While many companies have been struggling to stay afloat in today's economic climate, those in the mortgage industry are awash in home loan applications, and money from mortgages is flowing into their coffers. Though interest rates crept...

Pulling the plug on money laundering: tactics and technology to deal with recent changes.
September 1, 2003... With today's increased focus on terrorism, bankers' battles against the international money laundering machine have taken on a new level of importance. As banks face a barrage of new regulations, there's a lot at stake. The reputation of...

Under the microscope: regulators move to risk-based exams.
September 1, 2003... In the coming year, when a regulatory examination team shows up on a bank's doorstep, they are less likely to wade hip deep in a sea of files hunting for violations and much more likely to come armed with a risk map of the institution and...

How to prepare for an information technology audit: best practices in the age of evolving requirements.
September 1, 2003... As banks have expanded their information systems, the importance of the technology audit has increased in spades. Today, bankers are equipped with better and more sophisticated business solutions, from online account services to automated...

Battling margin compression: interesting times call for interesting measures.(investment management)
September 1, 2003... The most important issue facing banks today is compressed net interest margins. The reason for this decline is clear: Asset yields have fallen far more than funding costs during the past 18 months. With interest rates near historic lows,...

Charter choices for mutuals: first identify the goals.(of mutual interest)
September 1, 2003... Like Mark Twain, who claimed that rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated, mutual institutions can now unequivocally state that they are here to stay, having overcome the doubts of the many skeptics who questioned their long-term...

Making sense of corporate governance.(legal briefs)
September 1, 2003... Implementing corporate governance changes continues to be a challenge for directors and management of financial institutions, small and large. They continue to experience the roll out of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and prepare for new listing...

Bank owned life insurance: more than a funding vehicle for benefit plans.(business solutions)
September 1, 2003... ACB Business Partners aligns with best-in-class companies to provide member-advantaged business solutions designed to enhance your bank's competitiveness and to improve your bottom line. Our newest partnership with Meyer-Chatfield delivers...

Financial industry technology budgets on the rise.(technology report)
September 1, 2003... Technology budgets of large financial companies are expected to increase in 2003, according to a recent survey by consulting firm Deloitte & Touche. The survey, which included responses from 22 of the top 100 financial services firms,...

Electronic fund transfer networks consolidate.(technology report)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Over the last few years, the electronic fund transfer industry has seen an increasing movement toward consolidation. In keeping with this trend, Fiserv is planning to bring its regional electronic funds transfer network brands under one ATM...

Fed, imagic agreement speeds check processing.(technology report)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Bankers doing business with check imaging provider imagic may be able to speed up their processing through a new agreement by the Federal Reserve. Under the agreement, imagic clients will have access to the open standards and infrastructure of...

New computer language begins to impact financial payments.(technology reports)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Extensible markup language, or XML, is beginning to make its presence felt in the arena of financial payments, according to research From TowerGroup. Common-use standards for XML are slowly developing, as financial institutions begin to...

COCC, Oracle team up.(technology report)
September 1, 2003... COCC, a cooperative technology provider for community banks based in Avon, Conn., has upgraded 48 of its 120 East Coast clients with the latest features from the Oracle E-Business Suite. The remaining clients do not use the E-Business suite,...

Compliance burdens expected to grow.(surveys & trends)
September 1, 2003... Roughly nine out of 10 financial industry executives expect the regulatory pressures of compliance to increase during the next three years, and half anticipate substantial increases, according to a recent online survey. When asked what...

Automating a bank's mail system may cut costs.(surveys & trends)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... As check imaging becomes more common, some financial institutions are finding ways to cut costs by automating their mailing processes. Southeastern Bank of Georgia in Darien has saved at least $30,000 a year since it automated it's customer...

Banks' traditional strengths can attract baby boomers.(surveys & trends)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Community banks, long hailed for their "stability and stewardship," should use these strengths when marketing to baby boomers, according to Charlene Stern, a senior vice president at Chicago-based NewGround, a strategic marketing firm. ...

Identity theft may be growing faster than expected.(survey & trends)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... As many as 7 million adults in the United States may have been victims of identity theft during the past year, according to an estimate from Gartner Inc. This number was based on a survey of 2,445 respondents that found 3.4 percent said...

Customer satisfaction doesn't always yield loyalty, bank survey finds. (surveys & trends.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Approximately 78 percent of commercial banking customers are satisfied or very satisfied with their financial services provider, according to a recent survey. However, only 57 percent of the 767 respondents said they would recommend their...

Regulatory outreach makes a difference.(chairman's corner)
September 1, 2003... In the American system of government, it is not only the laws Congress passes that impact community banks. How the regulators interpret those laws makes a critical difference to our operations. When Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of...

Welcome to the 11th annual buyers guide.(chairman's note)
September 1, 2003... Once of the best things about being chairman of America's Community Bankers is taking our association's message to Congress and to community bankers across the country. I like to share with members and non-members alike what ACB means to...

Protecting your institution: physical bank security in today's world.
September 1, 2003... Bank robbery. These may be the two most frightening words for a banker to hear; and they're even more frightening in light of recent statistics. Between 2000 and 2001, bank robberies increased by 19.4 percent, according to the Federal...

Making informed purchasing decisions.
September 1, 2003... Purchasing decisions have become more complicated for community banks. Increasing competition, new regulations from the government, and constant changes in technology have pushed the stakes higher, according to many experts. While a sound...

Tips for buying insurance coverage.
September 1, 2003... Meeting the insurance needs of a community bank can be a confusing and expensive process. To help bankers tackle this project, Community Banker asked three industry providers to proffer their ideas on purchasing several types of insurance...

Online bill payment: getting customers to try.
September 1, 2003... Industry experts and bankers predict electronic bill payment is poised for a major liftoff in the next few years, as banks and businesses find ways to convince customers to give the service a try. The market for online bill payment has been...

Online loan applications: how to get there.
September 1, 2003... Most banks have not yet automated their Web sites to accept online mortgage loan applications, but there is no shortage of providers that are ready to help them do so. While the largest banks tend to develop their online loan systems...

ACB Business Partners: leveraging the power of $1 trillion.
September 1, 2003... Using the collective negotiating power of 1,200 members with $1 trillion in assets, ACB Business Partners Inc. is able to bring business solutions to members of America's Community Bankers that most institutions could not win on their own. ...

Eight pointers on network security.
September 1, 2003... Recent studies show that banks face more network security intrusions than non-financial companies. An average U.S. company is hit by hackers 30 times a week, according to the online security firm Symantec Corp. However, the average bank...

Welcome to the 2004 ACB Resource Catalog!
September 1, 2003... ACB Membership America's Community Bankers represents the nation's community banks. ACB members, whose aggregate assets total more than $1 trillion, pursue progressive, entrepreneurial and service-oriented strategies in providing financial...

Government relations and policy advocacy.
September 1, 2003... One of the most important resources ACB offers its members is government relations and advocacy services. On Capitol Hill and in the regulatory agencies, ACB's government relations team stays on top of developing legislation and regulation...

ACB Business Partners: exclusive member benefits, best-in-class partners ... strengthening your competitive edge and bottom line results.
September 1, 2003... Partners for Your Success ACB Business Partners is the business subsidiary of America's Community Bankers. We build relationships with best-in-class companies to provide a full menu of unparalleled, value-added business solutions to...

Professional development.
September 1, 2003... Certificate Programs ACB provides certificates of achievement in many of its programs, certifying the participant's attendance for 3-5 days in an interactive workshop, plus the accomplishment of passing a comprehensive examination on the...

Education programs.
September 1, 2003... Because of the large number of classes offered, this section is conveniently separated into four sections: Executive & Strategic Issues, Lending and Compliance, Management Development, and Distance Learning. EXECUTIVE & STRATEGIC ISSUES...

ACB education partners.(America's Community Bankers)
September 1, 2003... ACB's alliance with Compliance Coach, Inc. offers members a discounted subscription to Regulatory University. Regulatory University (www.RegulatoryU.com) is an e-learning education system offering more than 40 courses that provide training and...

Publications.(listing of relevant business publications for community bankers)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2003... GENERAL INDUSTRY AND TRENDS Washington Perspective Newsletter Hailed as one of the most useful management resources produced by ACB, Washington Perspective is your window on Washington. Each week, Washington Perspective zeroes in on...

Director resources every community bank board needs.(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2003... BOARD OF DIRECTORS Directors & Trustees Digest Newsletter Corporate governance is in the spotlight as regulators implement the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Since July 2002, 15 new rules have been handed down, with more to follow. Bank...

Federal Guide: your best source for banking laws and regulations, agency policies and guidance.(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2003... Federal Guide The Federal Guide four-volume set is the basic reference resource for depository institutions. It provides up-to-date information on laws, rules and policy guidance that affect a financial institution's business operations....

Buyers guide directory.(Account Aggregation-Computer Software-PC)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2003... ACCOUNT AGGREGATION Adhesion Technologies 5935 Carnegie Blvd. Suite 301 Charlotte, NC 28209 Phone: (704) 716-3700 Fax: (704) 716-3710 Website: www.adhesiontech.com BANKLINK 116 W. 32nd St., 10th Floor...

Buyers guide directory.(Consumer Lending-Document Services & Imaging)(Directory)
September 1, 2003... Blue View Corporation 3015 St. Charles PI., Suite C San Diego, CA 92110 Phone: (619) 758-0675 Fax: (619) 758-0606 Capri Capital 1655 North Fort Myer Dr. Penthouse Arlington, VA 22209 Phone: (703)...

Buyers guide directory.(Electronic Payment Systems-Investment Services-For Banks Portfolio)(Directory)
September 1, 2003... ACB Card Services, Inc. Subsidiary of America's Community Bankers 900 19th St., N.W., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 857-5092 Fax: (202) 296-8697 Email: jsimoneau@acbankers.org Website:...

Buyers guide directory.(Investment Services-Mutual Funds-Mortgage Lending-Appraisals)(Directory)
September 1, 2003... Eaton Vance Mutual Funds 255 State St. Boston, MA 02109 Phone: (800) 262-1122 The Enterprise Group of Funds 3343 Peachtree Rd., NE Suite 450 Atlanta, GA 30326-1022 Phone: (800) 432-4320 Fax: (404)...

Buyers guide directory.(Mortgage Lending-Private Mortgage Insurance-other)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2003... ACE INA 5404 Cypress Center Dr., Suite 365 Tampa, FL 33609 Phone: (800) 234-7354 Fax: (813) 281-1364 GE Mortgage Insurance 6601 Six Forks Rd. Raleigh, NC 27615-6519 Phone: (919) 846-4100 Fax: (919)...