Colleagues, Fellow Professionals and Friends, 

A few weeks ago our family took a trip to Mission, Texas, and while there, I was reminded of a truism: What you know affects what you think you know.

You see, Mission, TX is a short drive from the Rio Grande River. I have seen the Rio Grande in New Mexico (and snapped the photograph of it below). With thoughts of the Gorge, I mentioned that while we were in Mission we should see the Rio Grande. The general response was, "Why?" And then it dawned on me, the Rio Grande I knew from New Mexico would be nothing like the Rio Grande in Texas.

 
Sadly, I never made it out to see the Rio Grande River in the valley of South Texas, and therefore, missed experiencing something new. I wonder how often, in life and work, we let what we know affect what we think we know.

On the drive back, I did get to experience something new.  My wife and daughter could not bear the thought of driving past Waco without stopping to see the Magnolia Market - the new business home of Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's " Fixer Upper" fame. In creating the Magnolia Market, the Gaines took an old barn and two rusted grain silos and turned them into a new, profitable "destination."

It's always amazing and inspiring to watch ingenuity at work - seeing past "what's there" to "what's there could be."

Someone has coined the phrase "Magnolia Moment" - I like to think of moments of inspiration as Magnolia Moments. One of the reasons I enjoy working with the folks at ABS are those Magnolia Moments. Some years ago, a person saw our manual filing system and then looked past it and saw an electronic filing system and what would become our BankManager® system. Then another person once looked beyond a compliance checklist and saw a risk management system -- our CompliancePro® software. And those Magnolia Moments keep happening.

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 SpotlightMarch
As we all know, regulators expect us to manage all the collateral and policy exceptions thrown our way, or else we are subject to regulatory action or the forbidden "problem" bank status. But how do we ensure effective management in our consistently changing industry?
 
BankManager Exact is being used by banks across the country. BankManager Exact was created by bankers, for bankers to help you easily manage your exceptions while giving you confidence that your collateral and policy management system will work for you and your bank.
 
So how does it work?
 
Designed specifically for financial institutions, BankManager Exact tracks required documentation and monitors collateral and policy exceptions.
 
In addition:
  • The database incorporates all information needed to achieve quality service and efficient loan and account supervision.
  • Exception monitoring tasks, policy exceptions tracking and user-added custom exception codes are completed at the click of a mouse.
  • The system is fully functional without extensive set-up and can be easily customized for various exception codes, collateral types, loan grades, loan status indicators and more.
  • The reporting function facilitates reporting by officer, department, branch or institution saving extensive time and effort.
Do yourself a favor - try Exact for yourself.  Save time so you can focus on your most important job - serving your customers!  
 
To schedule a demo or to learn more, please contact Tom Ryan at tryan@abs-ok.com or (405) 607-7000. AcknowledgeMarch


Mary Cope: Administrative Assistant

If you've been a longtime ABS customer, chances are you know our administrative assistant, Mary Cope. An ABS associate for the past 18 years, Mary says the best part of her job has always been the people she works with and their absolute commitment to their customers.
 
Although she's established her life and family here in Oklahoma, Mary is truly a Californian at heart. She lived in southern California until she was 13 and later moved to northern California where she attended Sonoma State University.
 
Mary is a proud mother to two grown sons, one who serves in the Air National Guard in Arkansas and the other serving in the army in South Carolina. She and her husband will be celebrating their 42 nd anniversary this June and are the proud grandparents of four - a 15-year-old grandson, a 14-year old granddaughter, a 13-year old granddaughter and a six-year-old grandson.  All have a very active interest in sports including soccer, track and basketball.
 
Check out these recent posts to our Compliance Blog by our very own team of compliance specialists.
 
Gone but not  Forgotten: Regulation AA - Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices
By: Elva Coffey-Sears 
Posted March 30, 2016

Gone.. The Federal Reserve published a final rule to repeal its Regulation AA - Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices effective March 21, 2016. Adopted in 1985, the regulation consisted of two subparts: Subpart A described the Federal Reserve's internal procedures for responding to consumer complaints and Subpart B, the credit practices rule, which mirrored the FTC's rule of the same name that prohibited banks from using or including in credit contracts specified remedies to enforce consumer credit obligations and required banks to provide a clear and conspicuous notice to cosigners prior to becoming obligated in a credit transaction.
The repeal of this rule is a direct result of the Dodd-Frank Act's repeal of the banking agencies' rulemaking authority under the FTC Act and the exclusion of this rule from those transferred from the FRB to the CFPB. The FTC credit practices rule remains in force for creditors under its purview, and the CFPB has authority to enforce the FTC's rule with respect to non-bank creditors. Although Dodd-Frank provides authority to the CFPB to issue rules to prohibit unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices, it has yet to do so.   [Read More]
Did you Know ABS Can Perform Your Annual IT Audit? 
By: Gina Ellis
Posted March 23, 2016

An external IT audit from experienced professionals is essential to safeguard your bank's information, assets and reputation while assisting in keeping customer information secure. Here at ABS, we have the experienced professionals ready to assist your bank with just that.
Our IT consulting service is designed to provide an independent resource which assists in verifying the adequacy of technology risk controls and procedures while satisfying appropriate regulatory requirements. The IT audits will be centered on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination (FFIEC) Work Information Technology Program, current regulatory issuances and guidance, best industry practices detailed in Information Standards Organization (ISO) 27001 and 27002 and professional experience.  [Read More]
Bankers Serving Bankers 
By: Benjy Cook
Posted March 14, 2016

Every financial institution needs platform software to assist with their daily operations in order to save time and create an efficient environment as they perform everyday tasks to serve their customers. Software has greatly reduced the amount of time needed to make loans, open new accounts, review credit documentation and so on. In addition, software makes bankers more efficient, reducing overhead that goes straight to the bottom line of their financial success.
The management team here at American Bank Systems has almost 100 years of banking experience working for financial institutions. This expertise is transferred to our software systems; each system has this foundation and incorporates proven banking and regulatory procedures in the design.  [Read More]  TipsTricksMarch

Preparing customer documentation and files for a bank examiner's review can be a daunting task. Take the stress out of preparing these customer files for examiner review in a matter of minutes using Snapshot in BankManager® Elite!  All the information and documentation the examiner requires is included in one well organized report, eliminating the need for examiners to access and navigate the bank's system!
Snapshot is also ideal for preparing customer files and documentation for:
  • Participating banks
  • Attorneys
  • Auditors
  • Loan Officers in order to work at mobile locations 
To find out more about using Snapshot in BankManager® Elite, please consult the BankManager® Elite User Guide or contact our ABS Customer Care Team at 405-607-7000. VaultMarch

Green Beans Supreme 
Provided By: Kathy Ryan, Wife of Executive Vice President Tom Ryan
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated onion 
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • Dash pepper 
  • 1/2 cup milk 
  • 1/2 cup dairy sour cream 
  • 2 one 1b. cans green beans 
  • 4 ounces process Swiss cheese shredded, 1 cup
  • TOP with French's crispy fried onions 
STEPS:
  1. In skillet, cook onion in butter slightly for about one minute. 
  2. Blend in flour, sugar, salt and pepper. 
  3. Add milk all at once and cook until thick and bubbly
  4. Remove from heat
  5. Stir in sour cream 
  6. Add green beans
  7. Spread 1/3 of green bean mixture in 1-quart casserole
  8. Sprinkle 1/2 the Swiss cheese over beans
  9. Repeat layers ending with beans. 
  10. Top beans with the crispy fried onions
  11. Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) for 20 minutes
  12. Center should be hot and melty

Makes 8 Servings


 

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