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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.
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For more information, visit:
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IBANYS' CONVENTION UPDATES
Silent Auction Items Still Needed!
Hotel Thayer Room Block Sold Out
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)
IBANYS' Convention Begins
A Week From Today!
Join Your Industry Peers & Colleagues
Sept. 16 - 18, 2015
At The Hotel Thayer,
West Point, New York
Come to IBANYS' Annual Convention! Join community bankers from across New York State and executives of important businesses affiliated with our industry.
- Participate in outstanding educational/ business sessions (and earn up to 8.5 CPE credits)
- Enjoy a terrific business trade show, vendors welcome reception, Silent PAC auction/ reception
- Partake of world class recreational activities & 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
- Our new "6-Minute Spotlight" -- IBANYS' Preferred Providers Showcase Their Firms From Podium
Just look at the issues and topics we'll address, and the speakers we've assembled:
- 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:
IBANYS Leadership To Address Convention
IBANYS Chairman Chris Dowd (Ballston Spa National Bank), Incoming Chairman John Buhrmaster (1st National Bank of Scotia) and President & CEO John Witkowski will address the Annual Convention. They will review the previous year's developments at the Association and in the industry, and discuss plans for IBANYS' future growth and success.
ICBA Chairman Will Focus On National Issues
ICBA Chairman Jack Hartings (President & CEO of Peoples Bank Co. of Coldwater, Ohio) will provide an update from the national perspective. Hartings has served in numerous leadership positions with ICBA and the Community Bankers Association of Ohio, and was a member of the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Community Bank Advisory Council and the Federal Reserve's Small Bank Advisory Board.
Plus, Wednesday's Keynote Address By
DFS
Superintendent Albanese
Acting Superintendent of the State Department of Financial Services 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.
We Still Need Your Silent Auction
Gift Donations
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.
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.
PLUS: A New IBANYS Convention Tradition:
Our Six Minute Drills. . .
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 "Cure the Blue"
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
- RidgeLogic
- 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: lindag@ibanys.net
IT ALL BEGINS ONE WEEK 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 Board Members &
Senior Managers To
IBANYS'
Regional Directors Conferences
- 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 increasing regulatory burden. How can community banks survive and prosper in the current environment? One way is to provide 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 challenges YOUR bank faces. . .
now, and in the future
- 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
Here's who will speak. . .
- 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.
Webcast On Cyber Defense
On Monday, September 14, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM, the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center will host a National Webcast on the Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense.
For more information, or to register:
https://msisac.cisecurity.org/webcast/2015-09/index.cfm
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Bank Branches Down Slightly;
Major Changes In Payment Processing
According to FDIC data,
commercial bank branches edged lower in 2014 from a year earlier, to 82,613
 from 82,860. The number peaked at 83,663 in 2013. (The number of total banks has declined 26% over the past decade, and down 61% since the high water mark in 1994.) Underlying changes in the way institutions operate will be dramatic. Meanwhile, one KBW analysts wrote:
"This modest decline (in branches) pales in comparison to the technological change in banking and payment processing and raises the question of whether or not banks are transforming their delivery systems fast enough to accommodate changing client needs."
Don't miss our Annual Convention presentations next week on "The Branch of the Future for Community Banks" and "Emerging Payments Technology"
Federal Regulators: Streamline Call
Reports
For Community Banks
The Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council (FFIEC) will seek public feedback on a plan to eliminate or revise certain items that banks must include in call reports. ICBA "is encouraged" by the
 proposal, and plans to continue working on gaining relief for community banks. The plan to streamline community bank reporting comes as some in Congress seek legislative changes to help reduce regulatory burdens for community banks. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Shelby (R-AL) has introduced legislation that would ease regulatory burden on smaller banks and credit unions. Democrats have opposed it, but if an agreement can be reached between Chairman Shelby and the Committee's Ranking Democrat Senator Brown (D-OH), it could potentially be voted on by the Senate. Both IBANYS and ICBA have urged Congress to enact bipartisan community bank regulatory relief legislation. The FFIEC said its new data reporting proposal would be put out for public comment for 60 days. The FFIEC plan would apply to banks and savings associations, but not credit unions. If adopted, it would take effect either December 2015 or March 2016. FFIEC includes the Fed, CFPB, FDIC, OCC, NCUA and State Liaison Committee.
FDIC: Community Bank Earnings Up
In Second Quarter
The 5,881 insured institutions identified as community banks reported $5.3 billion in net income in the second quarter, an increase of 12% from the second quarter of a year ago. Net operating revenue of $22.3 billion at community banks was $1.6 billion (8%) higher than a year ago.
. . ."Problem Banks" Down, DIF Up
The number of total banks on the FDIC's Problem List fell from 253 to 228 during the second quarter. This is the smallest number of problem banks in nearly seven years and is down dramatically from the peak of 888 in the first quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, The DIF increased from $65.3 billion in the first quarter to $67.6 billion in the second quarter, primarily due to $2.3 billion in assessment income. The DIF reserve ratio rose from 1.03% to 1.06% during the quarter.
Mortgage Applications Down
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, total volume of mortgage applications fell 6.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending
 September 4 from the previous week.
Applications to refinance home loans fell 10% after having increased dramatically two weeks ago. Applications to purchase a home, (which are less rate-sensitive) fell 1% from a week earlier, but remain 41% higher than they were the same week one year ago. Some analysts believe the drop in refinance applications was a reaction to a minute tick up in interest rates: The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) increased to 4.10% from 4.08%.
Foreclosures Continue To Decline
The latest analysis from CoreLogic showed 38,000 foreclosures were completed in July 2015, a 24%
 year-over-year decline from the 50,000 in July 2014.
Approximately 469,000 homes in the United States were in some stage of foreclosure this past July, compared to 650,000 in July 2014. July was also the 45th straight month with a year-over-year decline. The foreclosure inventory represented 1.2% of all homes with a mortgage, compared to 1.7% in July 2014. Meanwhile, the seriously delinquent rate was at 3.4%, the lowest level since December 2007.
Small Business Optimism?
U.S. small business confidence rose modestly in August, according to the National Federation of
 Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index. It gained half-a-point to 95.9. Small business owners were slightly optimistic about sales, but did not believe it was a good time to expand. Owners were pessimistic about business conditions over the next six months and were noncommittal regarding capital and inventory investment.
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:
Help Control Your
Health Care Costs!
The "My Wellness Resource Card" may be your solution to helping to control your health care costs. Upgrade your employee benefits with a low-cost,
 non-traditional program to save time and money, and help retain employees. 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. This program 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.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Congress Returns:
Community Bank Issues Looming
Congress has returned from its August recess, and its fall agenda could impact community banks in a significant way. That includes a long-term
 transportation funding bill passed by the Senate that would reduce by 75% the dividends on Federal Reserve stock that banks are required to hold. The Senate has also passed a short-term bill that expires at the end of October, and it does not include the dividend reduction provision, and the House approved long-term version doesn't include it either. The difference must be resolved before the end of October.
In other news:
- The American Banker recently reported that the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) had received more than 3,000 letters from bankers opposing its proposal to loosen restrictions on credit union business lending.
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Gov. Cuomo in Syracuse recently said there is "clear and irrefutable" progress on upstate New York's economy, but acknowledged there's "more work to do" in the Southern Tier. His comments followed a rally at which a group of upstate secessionists called for the region to secede from New York and join Pennsylvania. The rally was spurred, in part, by the Cuomo administration's decision to ban high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, putting the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation, which spans the Southern Tier, off limits. It is allowed in Pennsylvania.
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.
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IBANYS Spotlights. . .
BBN (Bankers Bank Northeast). . .
With a new brand, a growing suite of new products and services and, of course, an ever expanding list of new clients, BBN continues to build on its legacy as they stride toward the future based on
 anticipating client needs. BBN is an organization with a mission to be a partner, never a competitor. BBN's success is closely tied to the success of its clients. As a result, they join you in welcoming the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The driving force behind BBN has always been the delivery of high quality and competitively-priced solutions to community financial institutions, and that focus will never change. As they continue to evolve, they will be going to great lengths to reinforce their industry expertise by offering leading edge products, services and technology - all with unparalleled client service. BBN's 98% client retention rate is a testament to success as both partner and valued resource. This incredible benchmark is also the foundation to their future. As such, they look forward to working with current clients and soon-to-be clients, ensuring that all are empowered to compete and thrive.
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DID YOU KNOW. . .
The United States Military Academy at West Point has been educating, training, and inspiring leaders of character for our United States Army and for the nation for more than 200 years? Did you know the entire central campus is a
national landmark, and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments?
Join us at The Thayer Hotel at West Point Sept. 16-18 for IBANYS' Annual Convention.
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| 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." _________________________________ |
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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
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