ABA Banking Journal - February 2008 - (Page 14)

briefing ABA Chairman’s Position ABA Resources Continued from page 17 BRADLEY E. ROCK CEO, Smithtown Bancorp brock@aba.com copies of the booklet series for as little as 60 cents apiece. For more information, visit the ABA Education Foundation’s web-site at www.abaef.com or call 1-800BANKERS. Our survival depends on grassroots mobilization THE SUPERBOWL IS OVER. AND THE primaries will soon be winding down. The next big event is the new ABA’s Government Relations Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C., March 10-12th. Please mark your calendars and make your reservations to join me at the Summit in Washington. This is an opportunity for all of our bankers from all across the country to interact with the key players in Congress and the federal regulatory agencies that write the laws and make the rules we have to live with in our banks every day. Our survival depends on grassroots mobilization, and this is our call to action. We need to know our members of Congress and they need to know us, so that when we contact them on issues like the expansion of the Farm Credit Service, on competitiveness, or on our regulatory burdens, they will know who we are. ABA’s Government Relations Summit is the first opportunity for our newly merged association to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the new ABA to members of Congress and the federal regulators. Every banker should be involved in our Government Relations Summit. The Summit will focus on a variety of legislative and regulatory issues. We will hear from members of Congress and the regulators, and have an opportunity to question them. We will also schedule individual visits to members’ and regulators’ offices where we can talk with them and key members of their staff one-on-one. Members of Congress need to know how many people you have working on compliance issues. We have to give them concrete examples from our banks in their home towns of what burdensome regulations really mean. And, they need to understand the impact that government-advantaged institutions have when they compete against our tax-paying banks. There is a second reason that your participation is important. Size matters in politics. Credit unions bring large numbers of people to Washington to lobby Congress. We need to show that we are strong and that we are united. The merger increased our numbers, our breadth and our strength, and now we need to take advantage of that. Let’s show Washington what the new ABA is made of. I’ll give you a third reason for attending. The economy will be a key issue in the elections in November. We can expect housing, mortgages and credit card rates to continue to be part of the debate. We need to be in Washington in March to talk with our representatives and our senators to be sure that they understand the issues from our perspective. ABA’s staff is highly effective. But there are some things only we as bankers can do. And telling members of Congress and our regulators what really happens in a bank is something you and I have to do. We are the bankers. We have to tell our story in our terms. And that is why it is so important that you participate. Members of the legacy ABA are used to coming to Washington for fly-ins with their state associations to lobby Congress on specific issues. Those fly-ins should and will continue. But the Summit is a new opportunity to join bankers from all across the country to show official Washington what Banking United really means. I look forward to seeing you there. BJ Sign up now for free ABA Frontline Compliance Training Have you signed up your bank for the free-to-members ABA Frontline Compliance Training Program, which delivers 73 online courses for your institution’s employees? The program provides a one-stop solution to educate your staff with current, accurate information. Participating banks can enroll employees in courses, monitor their progress and easily print reports in response to regulators’ requests. To enroll your bank, go to www.abafrontline.com. To learn more, go to the frequently asked questions section at http://www.abafrontline.com/Faq.aspx. Questions? Call 1-800BANKERS. Sign up for Summit FDIC’s Sheila Bair, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, and Fed Governor Randall Kroszner are among confirmed speakers at the ABA’s upcoming Government Relations Summit. Registration is free for ABA members. For a schedule, go to www.aba.com/Events /GRS.htm 14 FEBRUARY 2008/ABA BANKING JOURNAL www.ababj.com/subscribe.html http://www.abaef.com http://www.abafrontline.com http://www.abafrontline.com/Faq.aspx http://www.abafrontline.com/Faq.aspx http://www.aba.com/Events/GRS.htm http://www.aba.com/Events/GRS.htm http://www.ababj.com/subscribe.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ABA Banking Journal - February 2008

ABA Banking Journal - February 2008 Contents On ABABJ.COM: Have You Visited Our Brand-New Website? Editor's Column "That's Edutainment" Snapshot: Tier 1 Ratios Stable so Far 100th Anniversary: Then and Now ABA Resources ABA Chairman's Position Don't Despair Pass the Aspirin Cover Story: Socially Responsible Banking Profitably - Incoming America's Community Bankers Council Chairwoman, Dorothy Bridges Demonstrates the Way A True "Rags-to-Banker" Story Retail Banking: On the Money Hunt Community Bank Management: The Ugly Truth About Board Relations Does Core Really Matter? Security 2.0: Not Just a New Kettle of Phish A Personal Case of Mal-Serendipity DOD Credit Regs Demand Attention Mailbox Banker's Mart To Advertise/Index of Advertisers The Economy

ABA Banking Journal - February 2008

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