|
Have You Contributed to NYSIBPAC This Year?
If not...now is the time! We need your help in this statewide election year to support candidates and committees who understand community banks' needs. Can we count on you?
CLICK HERE for our 2015 PAC contribution form. Help support IBANYS' political action efforts in New York State.
|
 |
For more information, visit:
|
|
|
|
|
 |
IBANYS' CONVENTION UPDATE
Silent Auction Items Needed!
IMPORTANT NEWS:
Because of the strong response to IBANYS' Annual Convention, ROOM BLOCK AT THE HOTEL THAYER IS SOLD OUT! For those still looking for accommodations, we suggest contacting two nearby hotels regarding availability. Please make your reservations directly with the hotels (contact information below).
Holiday Inn Express & Suites West Point-Fort Montgomery
1106 Route 9W
Fort Montgomery, NY 10922
(Approximately 2 ½ miles from Hotel Thayer)
Fairbridge Inn & Suites @ West Point
17 Main Street
Highland Falls, NY 10928
(Approximately 5 miles from Hotel Thayer)
NOTE: The registration fee also changes for those not staying at Hotel Thayer. Please take a look at the attached brochure for the adjusted registration cost.
IT'S SEPTEMBER!
IBANYS' Convention Begins
In Exactly Two Weeks!
DON'T DELAY. . .
REGISTER TODAY!
Join Your Industry Peers & Colleagues
Sept. 16 - 18, 2015
At The Hotel Thayer,
West Point, New York
The CEOs, senior management and board members of New York community banks across the state will gather with executives of important partner companies affiliated with or related to our industry. Why? To participate in outstanding educational/ business sessions and a terrific business trade show, enjoy unique networking opportunities and partake of world class recreational activities.
Plus: Earn up to 8.5 CPE credits!
IBANYS is authorized by the NYS Department of Education to award continuing professional education (CPE) credits.
Why Attend IBANYS' Convention?
- Business/Educational Sessions: (All Panel Discussions Thursday, and All Single Presenters Friday)
- Networking Opportunities at Breakfasts, Luncheons, Dinners, Refreshment Breaks
- Golf On West Point Golf Course: Wednesday at 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
- West Point Tour: ("History and Tradition Of West Point"): 2:30 - 4:45 PM Thursday
- Top Notch Trade Show & Vendors Welcome Reception
- Trade Show will be site of our traditional PAC Silent Auction Thursday evening from 6:00 - 8:30 PM with reception and carving stations
- Our new "6-Minute Spotlight" -- IBANYS' Preferred Providers Showcase Their Firms From Podium
Together, We'll Examine Today's Banking and Business Environment, and Explore Tomorrow's Strategic Challenges
- Jim Reber of ICBA Securities ("Investment Management for 2015: What Happens When Rates Rise, or Don't?)
- Steve Cohen from New York Business Development Corporation ("Get It Fast When You Need It Bad--What Happens When Your Customers Go Online To Borrow")
- Steve Cundall, CEO - The Cornerstone Group ("Winning The Talent Game: Three Disciplines Of Great Banking Leaders")
- ICBA Chairman Jack Hartings (President & CEO, The Peoples Bank Co. in Coldwater, Ohio)
- ICBA Immediate Past Chairman (and incoming IBANYS Chairman) John Buhrmaster (1st National Bank of Scotia),
- IBANYS Chairman Chris Dowd (Ballston Spa National Bank)
- IBANYS President & CEO John Witkowski;
- Panel discussions on such topics as: "The Branch of the Future for Community Banks", "The Impact of Cybersecurity On Banking" and "Managing Risk"
- Kevin Christensen of SHAZAM will discuss "Emerging Payments Technology"
- "The Passing Of The IBANYS Gavel" From 2014-15 Chairman Chris Dowd to 2015-16 Chairman John Buhrmaster
Convention Speaker/Panel Profiles
Periodically, we'll highlight some of the speakers and panels
for our upcoming convention.
 On Thursday, September 17, we will have a series of panel discussions on the important trends and issues facing New York community banks. One will feature an in-depth discussion of The Impact Of Cyber Security On Banking. A panel of cybersecurity experts will address issues related to today's banking and business environments. They'll  focus on operational, legal and law enforcement perspectives, discuss community banks' cybersecurity challenges and preview what we can anticipate in the future. Our panelists include Deborah Snyder, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer, NYS Office of Information Technology Services; James Sproull, Executive Vice President of Genesis Merchant Services and SSA Jay Kramer, NYO Cyber Division with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).The moderator will be Gary Bronstein, Esq., a Partner in the law firm of Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton.
On Friday, Sept. 18, our program switched from panels to single speakers.  One such presentation will feature Kevin Christensen, Vice President of Audit with SHAZAM, who will discuss "Emerging Payments Technology". With Chip card, tokenization technology and NFC payments on the way, the payments industry will never be the same. Community bankers need to understand their impact on their business. Kevin will review the status, costs and benefits of EMV and tokenization as they relate to New York community banks, and how to best prepare for when these and other changes take effect and go mainstream.
Convention Keynote Speaker:
DFS Superintendent Albanese
Acting Superintendent of the State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Anthony Albanese will deliver our Keynote Address Wednesday evening, September 16. Mr. Albanese has been Acting  Superintendent at DFS since his predecessor, Benjamin Lawsky, resigned in June. He previously was Mr. Lawsky's Chief of Staff. Among the many issues DFS has focused on recently is the matter of cybersecurity and the financial industry. DFS has noted cybersecurity is likely the most important issue that the Department will face in 2015, and perhaps for many years to come.
DFS has been spending a lot of time working on concrete actions to help strengthen cybersecurity at its regulated institutions, including revamping its
regular exams of banks and
insurance companies to incorporate new, targeted assessments of those institutions' cybersecurity preparedness, and considering regulations that to mandate the use of multi-factor authentication. The cybersecurity of third-party vendors is also seen as a significant vulnerability.
We Need Your Help:
Donate A Gift For Our
A longstanding tradition at IBANYS' Annual Convention is our "Silent Auction" to support our political action efforts in New York State through our PAC, NYSIBPAC. This is a wonderful opportunity to help our New York community banking industry stay competitive in the political process in Albany. NYSIBPAC contributes to New York State candidates and officials who understand and support the vital role we play in our local and state economies, and the very fabric of New York communities.
DONATE A GIFT
: We need you to help by donating a gift for the silent auction. It's a great way to showcase items from your region, or unique items others will enjoy. The gift donation is not tax deductible. Nationally chartered banks must donate through a holding company, individual officer or director. State chartered banks may donate directly or through the holding company.
GIFT SUGGESTIONS: Avoid gift certificates for specific values. Participants at the auction tend to bid lower than the value stated on certificates. Instead, consider donating a gift certificate for a specific item (I.e., a case of wine, or specialty product). If you are donating any oversized, perishable or fragile items, instead of shipping them directly to the Convention you might wish to provide photos and/or marketing materials to advertise the item at the auction, and offer to ship the actual item to the winning bidder after the Convention. We recommend a minimum value of $100 for each donation.
A New IBANYS Tradition:
IBANYS preferred providers and select associate members the have chance (from the podium, during business sessions) to take a brisk six minutes and showcase their firms, products and services - in short, to explain what they can do to help New York community banks. Registration cards
will be distributed for the drills, and those selected will have a contribution made in their name (or their bank's) to the "Cure the Blue" effort, co-sponsored by IBANYS to raise funds and awareness regarding prostate cancer research in New York State.
Special thanks these friends of our industry and IBANYS -- the firms who have already stepped forward to sponsor at the convention:
- ACBB
- BBN
- Bowers & Company CPAs
- Continuity
- Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
- Finger Lakes Technology
- Five Star Bank
- ICBA
- Jamesson Associates
- Main Street Checks
- New York Business Development Corp.
- NBT Bank
- Pentegra Retirement Services
- Roosevelt & Cross
- Sandler O'Neil
- Smith & Wilkinson
- Strategic Resource Management (SRM)
- T.Gschwender & Associates
- UHY, LLP
- Wolf & Company
. . .Are still available! See the registration brochure below, or you may e-mail IBANYS' Director of Operations, Linda Gregware, at: [email protected]
IT ALL BEGINS JUST TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY:
- IBANYS Member Banks: CLICK HERE for UPDATED convention packets, including registration/ information.
- IBANYS preferred providers, associate members & exhibitors:CLICK HERE for your registration/information packets.
Registration & information is also available at www.ibanys.net under Upcoming Meetings.
Then, In October. . .
Bring YOUR Directors & Senior Managers To
IBANYS' 2015 Regional Directors Conference
- Wednesday, October 21 (Rochester)
- Thursday, October 22 (Albany)
As we work our way out of the latest financial/ banking crisis, we have seen a decline in the number of community banks, and continue to increasing regulatory burden. How can community banks survive and prosper in the current environment? By providing their board members and senior management teams with best practices and the necessary tools to guide the bank toward future growth and success.
We'll look at a number of challenges ahead:
- enhancing the branch structure
- preparing for interest rate changes
- ensuring strong financial performance and acquiring the requisite data
- trends in compensation
- ERM & The Committee Process: Directors' Role
- Maximizing Profitability In A Consumer-Driven Market
- Creating Shareholder Value Beyond Just The Share Price
- The Job Of The Audit Committee
- Regulatory & Industry "Hot Button" Issues
Our speakers include:
- Shawn O'Brien, President of QwickRate;
- Greg Dingens, Head of Investment Banking at Monroe Financial Partners;
- David Ruffin, Co-Founder, Credit Risk Management;
- Flynt Gallagher, President, Compensation Advisors;
- Phil Pratt, Senior Consultant, Digital Insight (an NCR Company)
- Peter Scully, Managing Director, BancList.com,
- Patrick Hughes, Partner, & Laurie Shen, Principal, UHY, LLP;
- Karl Nelson, CEO, KPN Consulting
Click here for the full agenda and to register for our 2015 IBANYS Directors Conference.
Thanks To Lake Shore's Dan Reininga!
Dan Reininga (right), President & CEO of Lake Shore Savings Bank, and colleague display the Cure the Blue flag on Mt. Whitney
"Cure the Blue" Flag Reached
Summit Of Mt. Whitney
To say that the Buffalo Bills Alumni Foundation's "Cure the Blue" prostate cancer awareness program has friends in "High Places" would definitely be an understatement. IBANYS member banker (and longtime Buffalo Bills Alumni sponsor and friend) Dan Reininga (President & CEO of Lake Shore Savings Bank) has been a staunch supporter of the "Cure the Blue" Campaign endorsed and co-sponsored by IBANYS. However, what Dan did last month to show his support was remarkable!
Dan carried the Cure the Blue flag to the summit of Mt. Whitney, as he and his team scaled the majestic crown jewel of California's Sierra Nevada. At
14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states, and climbing Mt. Whitney is indeed a challenge. "I really appreciate what the Buffalo Bills Alumni Foundation has done for the Western New York community over the years" said Reininga. "However, their Cure the Blue Campaign, to bring awareness about prostate cancer, is something very special and I wanted to do something special for them by carrying their flag to the top of Mt. Whitney" explained Reininga.
Here's How YOUR Bank Or Firm
Can Support
"Cure The Blue"
"Cure the Blue" raises funds and awareness regarding prostate cancer research in New York State. Lake Shore Savings Bank President & CEO Dan Reininga recently joined former Buffalo Bills Head Hall-of-Fame Coach Marv Levy and former Bills and Buffalo Bills Alumni Foundation  members Booker Edgerson and Ed Rutkowski at a recent event on behalf of Cure the Blue. The Bills Alumni Foundation and IBANYS are spearheading this long overdue effort, and IBANYS' member bank Lake Shore Savings Bank is strongly supporting the campaign. The bank has "Cure the Blue" ribbon pins available for purchase for a donation at all eleven of the bank's branches, and plans a branch wide fundraising event during September.
Lake Shore President & CEO Dan
Reininga has noted:
"
The exciting thing about this is that it's going to be a national campaign at some point. It's very exciting and we're very proud. It's what Lake Shore is all about - putting people first.
Can we count on YOUR bank or firm to join this truly important effort?
New York Community Banks:
Control Your
Health Care Costs!
Are high deductible health insurance plans hitting your bank or company hard? The "My Wellness Resource Card" may be your solution. You can upgrade your employee benefits with a low-cost,
 non-traditional program that can save your bank/company time and money, and help you retain employees. It will provide on demand health care, from U.S. board-certified doctors who will provide diagnosis, treatment options and necessary prescriptions via unlimited telephone medical consultations through
Telehealth. It will also provide discounts and significant savings on a variety of medical and dental products.
Sponsored by My Wellness Resource, Inc. and by IBANYS, this program was specifically
designed to improve productivity, decrease absenteeism and boost morale without straining your bottom line.
Click here and
here to learn more about this exciting new alternative, or visit
www.ibanys.net for details and to enroll.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
FDIC: Banks Earnings Up In Second Quarter
The FDIC released data today that showed U.S. banks' earnings jumped 7.3% in the second quarter of 2015 from a year earlier. U.S. banks earned $43
 billion in the quarter, up from $40.1 billion a year earlier. Nearly 60% of banks reported an increase in profit from a year earlier, and only 5.6% of banks were unprofitable. Revenues increased and the volume of "soured" loans that banks had to write off declined to the lowest level since before the financial crisis. The data showed continued improvement for the banking industry seven years after the crisis. The number of "problem" banks continued to decline.
. . .Productivity Is Also Up
The U.S. Labor Department this morning reported that U.S. nonfarm productivity, which measures
 hourly output per worker, increased at its strongest pace in a year-and-a-half in the second quarter. The Department revised productivity to show it rising at a 3.3% annual rate, the quickest since the fourth quarter of 2013. The previous month's reported rate was 1.3%. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast productivity being revised up to a 2.8% annual growth pace. It contracted at a 1.1% rate in the first quarter.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Community Banks Oppose Credit Union
Business Lending Expansion
In a comment letter, ICBA has expressed strong opposition to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) board's proposed rule to relax business-lending rules for tax-exempt credit unions. ICBA believes the proposed rule to expand
 lending authority while relaxing regulatory oversight would jeopardize the safety and soundness of federally insured credit unions and place undue risk on U.S. taxpayers. The NCUA's proposal to expand loopholes to taxpayer-subsidized credit unions' 12.25% cap on business-lending authority would replace strict commercial lending standards with abstract principles, which would defy congressional intent, weaken loan standards and allow large credit unions to flout the cap. ICBA urged the NCUA to demonstrate a need for the relaxed standards, and to retain its personal guarantee requirement for borrowers as well as collateral and security requirements for member business loans. Community banks believe
the credit union industry should not expand its business-lending authority as long as it remains exempt from taxation and federal financial regulations such as CRA. IBANYS has urged New York community bankers to contact their congressional representatives as well as the NCUA to note objections to the proposal.
IBANYS' WEBINARS FOR NEW YORK
COMMUNITY BANKS
Sessions Designed For YOUR Bank!
New York community banks are facing a multitude of challenges in today's banking, business and regulatory environments. Bank officers, board members and employees have seen their responsibilities and potential liabilities continue to evolve. Are you doing everything possible to provide them with the information and tools necessary to remain fully informed and up-to-date so that they are equipped to manage the bank and guide it into the future? New York community banks are benefitting from IBANYS' webinars, especially designed to meet the needs of community banks in today's world. IBANYS' webinars are effective, cost-effective. Your bank's officers, directors and employees can participate directly from their offices. The sessions are timely and provide real bottom line value. That's why participation has been consistently increasing. Take a moment to review upcoming programs, including presentations on EMV and credit cards, current trends in cyber crime and payments fraud, regulator & industry hot buttons for bank directors and much more, including:
- New accounts
- CFPB rules for mortgage servicers
- BSA compliance
- TILA/RESPA disclosure
- Monitoring work-related social media
- Credit risk in agriculture lending
- EMV and debit cards
- Trends in cyber crime and payments fraud
- Revised escrow rules
Click on the link below to review our upcoming webinars through September.
|
|
IBANYS Spotlights. . .
T. Gschwender & Associates, Inc.
T. Gschwender & Associates, Inc. is a diversified consulting company that has been providing services to financial institutions and businesses in the Northeast United States since 1984. Their financial institutional clients include small community banks and credit unions with less than
 $100 million in assets, to much larger regional institutions with over $5 billion in assets. The firm describe itself as a highly sophisticated "Credit Department" for financial clients, able to handle all functions from initial borrower due diligence to collateral liquidation, and everything in between. The goal is to provide these services in a timely and cost effective manner, allowing clients to tap into resources they would not otherwise be able to employ internally. T. Gschwender & Associates' consultants all have extensive banking and corporate management experience. Some have been with the company since it began in 1984. Current staff provides a wide depth of experience, holding high level positions within banking, accounting, and regulatory institutions. With expertise spanning "both sides of the street", the company's Associates provide a well balanced and thorough approach to all that they do. The privately held company was begun by Tom Gschwender November 9, 1984 and purchased by Bharpur "Bo" Singh on April 1, 2008.
|
|
DID YOU KNOW. . .
That West Point's role in our nation's history dates to the Revolutionary War. Both sides realized the strategic importance of the commanding plateau on
 the west bank of the Hudson River. General George Washington considered it the most important strategic position in America, and transferred his headquarters there in 1779. President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy in 1802.
Join us at The Thayer Hotel at West Point Sept. 16-18 for IBANYS' Annual Convention.
|
| New York community banks play a key role in our state and local economies. Help spread the good news among your customers, business and elected leaders and media! |
| Click here for quotes from Governor Cuomo and DFS Superintendent Lawsky extolling the performance and value of New York community banks. |
| Click here for the full NYS Study on community banking. |
| Click here to read IBANYS President & CEO John Witkowski's comments on the new tax changes and benefits for New York community banks as approved in the 2014-15 State Budget. Click here for IBANYS' letter to the Editor of Consumer Reports Magazine correcting failure to mention community banks as an alternative to using "big banks." _________________________________ |
|
John J. Witkowski
President and Chief Executive Officer
Stephen W. Rice
Director of Government Relations and Communications
Linda Gregware
Director of Administration and Membership Services
William Y. Crowell, III
Legislative Counsel
|
|
|
|
|
