CEOColleagues, fellow professionals and friends,

"Live so as to be missed."
 
Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a young Scottish minister, spoke those words to his congregation and friends.* His thought has stuck with me. How do we live so as to be missed in our vocations? To answer that question, think about the people you miss and the people you don't miss. What sets them apart?
 
Think of business associates who are skilled and gifted in their work. They outpace others in the quality and quantity of their work. They know how to get the job done and beat the competition. They are the "rainmakers" and "workhorses" - but, if they left the company, we may not miss them. Oh, we would miss their work, but not them. And there is a world of difference between missing someone's contribution to a business and missing them. 
 
So, who would we miss among our business associates? We would miss the folks who can get their work done while helping others get things done. We would miss the folks with great knowledge that they freely share with others. We would miss the folks who work with a friendliness and enthusiasm which inspires our own efforts. We would miss those who don't need the spotlight on themselves, but gladly see it shine on others.
 
Here at American Bank Systems, we will soon be missing Benjy Cook, our Company President who is retiring after 40 years with ABS at the end of this month.  We will miss him for his knowledge of the banking industry and what we do here at ABS. We will miss him for all the ways that he helps ABS be successful.  We will miss his care and concern for the people here - for their work and their welfare.    
 
So, as we prepare to say a fond farewell to Benjy, I want to publicly thank him for his friendship to me over my own tenure of nearly 20 years at ABS, for his guidance and leadership, and for his work over the past year to ensure a smooth transition of his responsibilities within ABS.  Benjy, we will miss you.

I hope this edition of BankLine has many items of interest for you.
 
Sincerely,




James W. Bruce, III
CEO and General Counsel, American Bank Systems

* A. Bonar,  Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Spotlight
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Acknowledgment

Sherry Brickell is a Territory Manager for ABS, with four years experience at the company. She works with financial institutions in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

Sherry says the best part about her job and working for ABS is the team-oriented culture and outstanding customer care that fits well with the dedication she has to her clients.
 
"We have dynamic and professional associates that partner with our clients evidencing how hard we work for them," Sherry said.
 
As a 20+ year veteran of working in the financial services industry, Sherry believes her greatest industry achievement is her commitment to keeping up with industry changes and trends.
 
" I have always strived to be someone my clients and colleagues can rely on for expertise and understanding their needs," Sherry said. "This has allowed me to develop many long-term and deep relationships and friendships."
 
She grew up in Raytown, Missouri, and started her full-time banking career right out of high school. Over the years, she has attended various online college courses in finance and marketing including American Institute of Banking courses.
 
Sherry lives on a small farm with dogs, cats, chickens, horses and one calf that she rescued and now takes care of. She is very close with her nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
 
Her hobbies include taking care of animals, reading and horse-back riding. 


Blog
Check out these recent posts to our Compliance Blog by our very own team of compliance specialists.

New Year, New Thresholds
By Cody Roberts, CRCM
January 8, 2018

If there is a new year, there must be new compliance thresholds. Annual adjustments are made to various regulatory thresholds which are based on various consumer price indexes at defined times during the year. The following is a recap of these changes for 2018. HMDA The asset-size exemption threshold for HMDA...  View Article


Compliance Miscellany for End of 2017
By Elva Coffey-Sears, CRCM, CRP
January 3, 2018

As 2017 winds to a close, Compliance Officers are focused on confirming readiness for the revised HMDA rule and implementing processes for the 2018 Customer Due Diligence requirements (including Beneficial Ownership). While the CFPB deals with issues relating to Mulvaney's appointment and his 30-day moratorium on new regulations, the...  View Article

 
2018 Customer Due Diligence Requirements, It's Not Just About Beneficial Ownership
By Gina Ellis, CRCM
December 11, 2017

So maybe you have completed your procedures for beneficial ownership identification or maybe you are still working on those requirements. But don't forget another critical part of the new regulation effective May 11, 2018, will require Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) policy changes and procedures for the new "fifth pillar" customer due...  View Article

By Cody Roberts, CRCM
November 27, 2017

As a compliance professional, you probably have to train a number of different types of employees periodically. This may include audiences as different as loan officers, tellers, or members of the board of directors. As such, one question you must address is also one of the most difficult: how do you convince...  View Article

tips
Tips
Tips & Tricks
Index and Copy a Single Document to Multiple Customer Files in BankManager® Elite
 
The new Index Multiple feature in ScanManager allows the User to index/file a scanned document to as many different customers as needed without requiring the document to be rescanned each time.  An additional Copy Document feature in the customer Imaging Screen allows the user to copy an imaged document to multiple customer files at one time.
To find out more about using the Index Multiple and Copy Document features in BankManager® Elite, please consult the BankManager® Elite User Guide or contact our ABS Customer Care Team at 405-607-7000.

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