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Convention Gallery
Missouri Bankers Association Executive Management Conference
Economist Brian Wesbury opened the Missouri Bankers Association’s Executive Management Conference in St. Louis last month with a keynote presentation labeled, “It’s Not as Bad as You Think.” Also the title of his most recent book, the phrase more or less set the tone for the conference, with speakers suggesting ways to survive and prosper in a challenging economic and regulatory environment.
Wesbury, of First Trust Advisors in Wheaton, Ill., suggested the country has economic hypochondria. “I’ve never seen a time when people were so fearful,” he said. Click here to view photos from this conference.
Independent Bankers association of New York State Annual Convention
Change was the name of the game when members of the Independent Bankers Association of New York State met for their 38th annual convention recently at the historic Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs. While the group’s chairman, Paul Mello, and president and CEO, Frank Capaldo, reported on changes within the association itself, other speakers addressed coping with changes in business in general and specifically in the banking industry. Click here to view photos from this convention.
Community Bankers Association of Georgia Annual Meeting
Challenges presented by the economy, regulation and downward pressure on revenues were addressed by speakers on the program for the Annual Meeting & Trade Show of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia recently at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa.Georgia has experienced more than its share of bank failures due to the recent crisis, but a few institutions have gotten out from under memorandums of understanding, according to Department of Banking and Finance Commissioner Rob Braswell, and fewer credits being downgraded by examiners. Appraisals are still a trouble spot, however, he added. Click here to view photos from this convention.
Missouri Independent Bankers Association Annual Convention
Positive trends in bank performance in Missouri and the region were noted by FDIC officials and the commissioner of finance at the annual convention of the Missouri Independent Bankers Association last month at Lake Ozark.“ My gut feeling is we are well past the mid-point of this downturn,” said James D. LaPierre, director of the FDIC’s seven-state Kansas City region. Missouri Division of Finance Chief Examiner Jerry Janes (right), while acknowledging that in hindsight another crisis is probably inevitable, said new opportunities for community banks will “come and go, some good and some not to good.” Economic cycles will persist, he added, and lending is risky. Click here for more photos.
Kansas Bankers Association CEO & Senior Management Forum
and Annual Meeting
Serious steps for reviving the economy and preventing the demise of community banks were described for members of the Kansas Bankers Association at their CEO & Senior Management Forum and Annual Meeting last month at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Tom Hoenig, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, attacked both subjects in his opening address. And near the end of the meeting, American Bankers Association Chairman-Elect Albert “Kell” Kelly, president and CEO of SpiritBank in Bristow, Okla., suggested ways community bankers can fight what they see as a lack of respect in Washington, D.C. Click here to view more photos from this convention.
Community Bankers Association of Kansas Annual Convention
The importance of incorporating technology in banking systems, persistently fighting for a stronger voice in Washington and learning to live with the Dodd-Frank Act were among the topics bankers heard about at the Community Bankers Association of Kansas annual convention in Overland Park July 14–16. Click here to view photos from the convention.
“There will be more opportunities for community bankers in the next 10 years than in the last 30 years, but the stakes will be higher and there is a better chance of failing,” according to David Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech University. Kohl spoke at the Tri-State Bankers Summit last month in Big Sky, Mont. The summit was sponsored by the Colorado, Montana and Wyoming Bankers Associations. Kohl told the bankers that in January and February he thought things were looking up as far as the economy was concerned, but then it got hit with the black swans, which were rising oil prices, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, sovereign debt issues and social unrest; the most important of these, in terms of the economy, being oil. To view photos from this summit, click here.
Missouri Bankers Association 2011 Annual Convention
Two economists with Midwest roots bookended the opening-day program for the Missouri Bankers Association’s annual convention in Branson. Both see the U.S. economy as the world’s strongest even as it emerges from recession, but they also raised red flags about the potential for inflation rearing its ugly head. “When we get into economic distress we get depressed,” said opening keynote speaker Chris Kuehl, managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence in Kansas City, Kan. “We look around and other countries seem to be doing better.” The afternoon general session featured Tom Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, who sees positive signs of economic recovery but worries about too-big-to-fail banks and the risk of inflation. He described the recent progress of the economy “amazing considering what we faced.” Click here to view photos from this convention.
Nebraska Bankers Association Annual Convention
At the 2011 annual NBA convention in Lincoln in late April, American Bankers Association Chairman Steve Wilson, who is also chairman and CEO of LCNB National, Lebanon, Ohio, said banking is a “noble profession. We make dreams come true.” But bankers have been “tarnished, tarred with a broad brush” during the recent financial crisis, he added. Wilson suggested that CEOs should ask themselves if their employees can speak knowledgeably about the role banks play in their communities. Click here to view more photos from this convention.
Independent Community Bankers of America National Convention & Techworld
“Community banks are a vital part of the nation’s banking industry,” was the mantra of regulators at the Independent Community Bankers of America’s national convention in San Diego last month. The fact that community banks face difficult challenges in the years ahead was also mentioned several times — there was also a considerable amount of “warm fuzzies” being exchanged between the speakers and the ICBA members in the audience. Click here to view photos from this convention.
American Bankers Association National Conference for Community Bankers
Engaged employees interacting enthusiastically with customers were seen as keys to healthy growth and profitability during the American Bankers Association National Conference for Community Bankers last month in San Diego. This was the theme of keynote speakers for two general sessions, and in at least one special interest session on “Getting More Performance Out of Existing Staff.” To view photos from this conference click here.