DBA Digest for September 8, 2023

It's Wizzo the Money Dog!

DFEA Launches New Fin-Lit Video Series!

The Delaware Bankers Association and the Delaware Financial Education Alliance are proud to introduce their new pet: Wizzo the Money Dog! Wizzo is a smart pup on a slew of financial topics. The short, informative videos are geared to ages from teens to young adults and provide introductory-level information on a wide variety of financial literacy topics. Watch Wizzo's first episode - "So You Want to Write a Check" - above. Wizzo will appear on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as on the DBA website and here in the DBA Digest. 

Sponsorships are available for each episode. Sponsors will be recognized with a logo slide and a voice-over acknowledgment at the beginning and end of the sponsored episode. In addition to appearing on DBA platforms, each sponsor will be allowed to use their sponsored episodes on all their online platforms. Sponsors may also suggest topics especially relevant to their particular area of business, from banking, to trusts, to accounting, and more! Contact Greg Koseluk for more information on sponsorships.

Foundations of Delaware Trusts: Three New Sessions Now On-Demand!

All three sessions in the new Foundations of Delaware Trusts Best Practices series are now available in on-demand videos. This new series highlights the best practices for trust professionals taught by Delaware's top trust experts! Train your entire staff with these informative sessions for just $499 ($199 each purchased separately).

Trust Termination Best Practices

Instructors: Mark A. Oller, Delaware Trust Executive, U.S. Trust Company of Delaware; Todd A. Flubacher, Esq., Partner, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP

Transfer Trust Best Practices

Instructors: Matthew P. D'Emilio, Managing Member, McCollom D'Emilio Smith Uebler LLC; Tara S. Hersh, Associate, McCollom D'Emilio Smith Uebler LLC

GST Tax Best Practices

Instructors: Cynthia D.M. Brown, President, Commonwealth Trust Company; Kimberly Gill McKinnon, Director, Gordon, Fournaris & Mammarella, P.A.

2023 FDIC Directors' College -

September 22nd - Dewey, DE

There's still time to register for the 2023 FDIC Directors' College, September 22, 8:30 to 1:30, at the Hyatt Place, Dewey, DE. The FDIC Directors’ College is an interactive program that provides ongoing education on current topics of bank supervision to bank directors, senior officers, corporate secretaries, and board advisors. The course is designed to help directors and trustees, both new and experienced, stay abreast of the ever-changing regulatory environment. Modules this year include: Consumer Protection; Risk Management; Conversation with the Regulators; and Economics and Banking Update. Please click on the link below to view the detailed agenda and to register.

Climb Aboard the Kalmar Nyckel for a Special Monday Evening Reception October 16th!

There's still room and still time to register for the 2023 Delaware Trust Conference kick-off reception on Delaware's tall ship, the Kalmar Nyckel. Be there, Monday, October 16, 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets to this exclusive reception event are just $150. Platinum and Diamond Sponsors receive two free registrations to the reception with their sponsorships. Space is limited! Contact Corinne Stayton to reserve your spot today!

2023 Delaware Trust Conference - All-Star Speakers! In-Person! Live-Stream! On-Demand!

Don't miss the all-star line-up of wealth management experts and the 2023 Delaware Trust Conference ends today, August 4th! The 2023 Delaware Trust Conference will be live at The Chase Center on the Riverfront, AND live-streaming, on October 17 & 18, AND on-demand through November! See the agenda via the link below and register today!

Mid-Atlantic Bank Executives Conference

September 10 - 11

This event, brought to you by five states (DE, MD, PA, VA and WV) will bring together bankers and industry partners for sessions with nationally recognized speakers providing relevant and timely content geared specifically to bank c-suite and other senior leaders. See the full agenda and registration information via the link below.

Women Connect - November 2nd - 9:00 to 4:30

University & Whist Club, Wilmington

Join us for the next Women Connect event, Thursday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the University & Whist Club in Wilmington. Topics include: “The Return to Work” Post-Pandemic Challenges and Silver Linings;  The 6 Pillars of Self Care, Building Self Care into Your Life; and Emotional Intelligence. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities. Only $149 for the full-day pass ($99 for a half-day pass). Register today for this exciting day of Engagement, Empowerment, and Networking!

Business Writing Workshop

November 1, 2023, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Time equals money in the work world, so creating clear documents quickly that can be understood easily is crucial. Join Linda Comerford, Comerford Consulting for this rewarding on-line course via Zoom, Just $199 per person for DBA members! ($249 for non-members)

Workshop Objectives: After attending this course, participants will benefit from an increased ability to:

• Identify varied audiences and purposes for writing;
• Polish rough edges of their writing style in paragraphs, sentences, words, and format;
• Write more effective documents while following a more efficient writing process; and,
• Apply course concepts to their actual writing samples.

Taking the Grr out of Grammar

November 8, 2023, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Surveys show that 80% of those in the business world tend to say, “Grr!” a lot when editing a document. Join Linda Comerford, Comerford Consulting for this valuable on-line course. Just $99 per person for DBA members! ($149 for non-members)

Workshop Objectives:  This half-day course helps participants do the following when writing and editing:  

• Analyze why correct documents are so important;
• Identify the errors that tarnish a writer’s image;
• Learn practical, current grammar and punctuation rules;
• Practice correcting grammar glitches and punctuation pitfalls; and,
• Demonstrate understanding of the rules through a pre- and post-quiz.

Jenifer Jurden is a Cartoonist from Wilmington who has graciously provided her Planet Jurdy cartoons for the DBA Digest. Jurdy® is her other-worldly "Hero of Happyness" whose cartoons bring levity to humans worldwide.

BLS CPAs Wins 2023 Best of Accounting 5-Year Diamond Award for Service Excellence

Belfint Lyons & Shuman, CPAs (BLS), a leading accounting firm currently in their centennial year announced that they have earned the Best of Accounting 5-Year Diamond Award for providing superior service to their clients based on five (5) consecutive years of client survey results. They are the only Delaware-based firm to have earned Diamond Status and only 27% of the 2023 Best of Accounting winners earned the Diamond Award distinction! ClearlyRated’s Best of Accounting® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients. On average, clients of 2023 Best of Accounting winners are 70% more likely to be satisfied than those who work with non-winning firms. BLS received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 86.4% of their clients, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 50%.

Santora CPA Group Announces a Promotion

Santora CPA Group, a Newark-based Certified Public Accounting and Consulting firm, is pleased to announce that Jennifer M. Rybicki, CPA, MST has been promoted to Tax Manager. She is a 2010 graduate of the University of Delaware with Bachelor of Science Degrees in Accounting and Management Information Systems. She interned during the summer of 2009 and, upon graduation, joined the firm in June 2010. In 2016, Jenni earned her Master’s Degree in Taxation from Goldey-Beacom College. She is a member of the American Institute and Delaware Society of Certified Public Accountants.  

Webinar: What the Basel Endgame Proposal Means for Delaware Banking Institutions - Sept. 12

In late July, federal banking regulators jointly proposed extensive revisions to the regulatory capital requirements for midsize and larger US banking institutions. The revisions are lengthy and would change the requirements for credit, market, and operational risk. Some of the revisions are long-expected (e.g., re-evaluation of use of internal models), but others are novel (e.g., capital charge for operational risk) or driven in response to the recent banking crisis. Some of these changes may have an outsized effect on institutions with significant credit card or asset management operations, both prevalent in Delaware. Therefore, it will be important for Delaware banks and trust companies to understand what the federal proposal means for their business and their peers.

Mayer Brown is pleased to offer a tailored briefing through the Delaware Bankers Association on the proposal’s impact. On September 12, 2023, 10 to 11 a.m., please join Matthew Bisanz, Jeff Taft and Julie Gillespie, partners in Mayer Brown’s bank regulatory and structured finance practices, for a webinar on what the proposal means for your institution. They also will take questions and be available for follow-up discussions.

The Final Stretch: Securitization in the US Under the Proposed Basel III Endgame Rules

On July 27, 2023, the US banking regulators issued a proposal to significantly revise the risk-based capital requirements applicable to large banks and to banks with significant trading activity. The proposal, which is colloquially referred to as “Basel III Endgame” or “Basel IV,” includes important changes to the calculation of credit risk weights for securitization exposures, as well as a new operational risk capital charge on certain fees and commissions. This white paper provides a detailed review of those changes, discusses their possible impacts, and highlights specific provisions that market participants are likely to focus on in their comment letters.

Ask the Regulators: Commercial Real Estate Loan Accommodations and Workout Guidance -

Sept. 14, 2 p.m.

On Thursday, September 14, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) (the agencies) will conduct an Ask the Regulators webinar to explain the revisions and additions to the Policy Statement on Prudent Commercial Real Estate Loan Accommodations and Workouts that was issued June 2023. During the webinar, staff of the agencies will review best practices for managing deteriorating and problem commercial real estate loans and workout arrangements, describe how supervisors assess the management of commercial real estate loan accommodations and workouts, and review supervisory expectations for valuations.

Webinar: How the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision in College Admissions Could Impact Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Programs in Financial Institutions

September 13, 2023 - 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET

In the weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the discussion quickly expanded beyond higher education to corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Questions about the impact of that decision beyond institutions of higher education have become a hotly debated topic. Specific to the financial industry is the fundamental question of how to square Section 342 of Dodd-Frank, which urges financial institutions to adopt DEI standards and to submit annual DEI reports to regulators in order to increase the representation of women and people of color in the financial industry, with the Court’s majority and concurring opinions and political leaders seeking to use that decision outside of the admissions context. Tune in as DEI experts provide an update on what the admissions decision means for the financial industry, how to assess risk in an uncertain and evolving legal landscape, and how to balance potential legal exposure with the survival of important DEI programs.

Delaware Association for Bank Security (DABS)

The Delaware Association for Bank Security (DABS) was estabilished in 1967 as a non-profit organization aimed at promoting bank security in the state of Delaware. The association is made up of experts in the banking industry and law enforcement who are dedicated to enhancing the security of banks and financial institutions in Delaware.

DABS provides a platform for sharing information, strategies, and best practices to improve security measures in banking operations. The association also collaborates with law enforcement agencies to investigate and prevent crimes related to bank security and financial crime.

Four Delaware Paid Leave and EARNS

Public Forums This Fall

The Delaware Department of Labor’s Division of Paid Leave is excited to present our fall series of public forums focused on bringing as many Delawareans as possible up to speed on two significant programs benefiting employers and employees: 

1. The new Delaware Paid Leave (Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program) — a landmark initiative that will bring new strength to the Delaware workforce, positively impacting 10,000 of our businesses and approximately 70% of Delaware workers and their families. 
2. Delaware’s Expanding Access for Retirement and Necessary Savings (EARNS) Program — an upcoming retirement security initiative that will provide workers and employers with access to low-cost retirement savings plans. 

• Thursday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Delaware Technical College, Dover 
• Thursday, Sept. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Delaware Technical College, Georgetown 
• Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Lewes Public Library 
• Tuesday, Oct. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana, Newark