Independent Banker - April 2020 - 48

ICBA 2020/21 executive committee
our communities; we do it every
day. I think members of Congress
recognize this and know that
supporting community banks and the
customers they serve is, and should
continue to be, a bipartisan issue.
Deckard: As the past chair of ICBA's
Legislative Aff airs subcommittee, I
had the opportunity to work closely
with ICBA staff and legislators
in crafting some of the language
preserving the pass-through tax
treatment to Sub S banks, of which
mine is one. I also was able to share
with the members of the House
Financial Services Committee, during
congressional testimony on the SAFE
Banking Act, specifi c stories of public
safety concerns, including the murder
of a family member, right outside the
business entrance, of a friend of mine
who owns a legal cannabis business
in my market. I was pleased to
communicate the industry perspective
and safety considerations and proud
that the bill was ultimately passed in
the House.
Frazier: During the 2017 ICBA
Capital Summit, I spoke with Sen.
Mark Warner (D-Va.) about the
impact that mergers and acquisitions
have on jobs in the area. I shared a
proxy document listing the reasons
why one bank's board of directors
recommended a sale. The fi rst
and most prominent reason was
compliance and the regulatory
burden. I also shared with him that
a lasting result was the number of
workers displaced in Virginia, enough
so that the Worker Adjustment and
Retraining Notifi cation (WARN)
Act applied. I believe that was the
fi rst time Sen. Warner connected the
dots between the cost of regulation
and the resulting impact of fewer
I was pleased to
communicate the
industry perspective
and safety
considerations and
proud that the [SAFE
Banking Act] was
ultimately passed in
the House. "
-Greg Deckard
legislation. I emphasized that we
want to keep the cannabis business
inside the banking system for a whole
host of reasons but can't unless the
law is changed.
local, community banks.
Kennedy: I have explained to
regulators that community bankers
can be trusted to make what would
become known as subprime loans.
Our customers are our friends and
neighbors; there is no incentive to
making harmful loans to them. But
many people, for various reasons,
cannot qualify for conventional
loans. These customers need a
community bank that understands
their challenges and is willing to
extend credit.
Zimmerman: At a recent meeting
with a senator about the SAFE
Banking Act, I told a story about how
having one tenant in a building that
was even peripherally involved with
cannabis prevented us from making
a loan without the risk of legal or
regulatory problems. The senator was
surprised that the current situation
was that far-reaching and agreed
to take a fresh look at the proposed
48 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q April 2020
Heitkamp: I'm not sure a story I
shared has really moved the needle,
but I had the opportunity, along with
a few other ICBA community bankers,
to share our stories of how regulatory
burden was harmfully impacting
the way we deal with our customers
to President Trump. We were in
the Roosevelt Room, and there is a
bronze sculpture of a buff alo being
attacked by wolves. I saw it sitting
behind the president, and I used it as
visual to explain that we (community
bankers) were like the buff alo and the
wolves were like the regulators who
were " nipping " at us. I stressed that
we needed help to survive (S. 2155).
Hartings: In 2009/10/11, when
many FIs stopped lending, we
continued to lend to and work with
our customers. We did not walk away
or make a strategic decision to sit on
the sidelines. My community bank,
like many others, is the backstop for
our community when times get tough.
You can't regulate that!
IF YOU WEREN'T A
COMMUNITY BANKER, WHAT
WOULD YOU BE?
Wilcox: As a fourth-generation
community banker, I cannot imagine
doing anything else. Now, if you asked
my wife that question, she would say I
would be a professional chef.
Fisher: As a fi fth-generation banker,
it is hard to imagine my life doing
anything else. I really enjoy helping
Independent Banker - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - April 2020
