Independent Banker - April 2023 - 43

innovative solutions and touching
thousands of community bankers.
Q: What is the one legislative
and one regulatory issue that you
think will have the biggest impact
on your community?
Williams: The biggest legislative
concern is probably potential
mandates focused on climate
risk, a risk that community banks
have successfully managed for
many years without government
interference. From a regulatory
perspective, I'm most concerned
about the impact of the CFPB's
proposed Small Business Lending
Data Collection Rule. This has
the potential to greatly impact
community banks' ability to be
flexible and customize our small
business lending to meet specific
borrower needs.
White: The creation of a central bank
digital currency would cripple rural
America because there will be fewer
local deposits to lend in rural areas.
The federal reserve and the too-bigto-fail
banks will not be competent to
lend in rural America.
Hopkins: I think it has to be
implementation of Section 1071,
Small Business Lending Data
Collection. I think this could serve to
allocate capital and make community
banks less innovative with our small
business customers as banks try to " fit
within a box. "
Getzlaff: Climate risk. Two of
North Dakota's main industries
are agriculture and energy. My
hometown, where I started out in
banking, is located right in " Coal
Country, " and our other offices
are very ag dependent. The CFPB
implementing complex rules where
community banking experts have to
suddenly become climate experts is
incredibly concerning.
THE JOY OF COMMUNITY BANKING
Board members look back on memorable
moments in their careers.
(continued from page 40)
Alice Frazier
The most memorable learning
moment was one month into my
banking career. Suddenly, free
checking became an important
product to remain competitive
locally, even though the concept
had been around for a while. A
senior executive with many years of
wisdom said, 'Alice, why shouldn't
we get paid to ensure Mrs. Smith's
groceries are paid for with that
check she gave the grocery or Mr.
Smith's ATM card gave him access
to cash when the bank is not open?
How about the fact they receive
a monthly statement with the
details of all the transactions on the
account? We make sure the money
goes where our customers want it
to go. Why shouldn't we get paid?'
That was the day that I learned the
true value of banking and to not be
afraid to be paid for our services.
Prior to that, I was like every other
consumer who took for granted the
movement of money.
Shon Myers
Bankers are in the dream-making
business, so it is hard to pin down
just one great experience of
helping someone in our community
make their dreams come true.
Unfortunately, navigating the
COVID crisis will likely also be one
of the most memorable times of my
banking career.
Gus Barker
I have so many memorable
moments, I can't really stress just
one. These would include seeing
a borrower struggling to just
survive and seeing them actually
becoming a vibrant success story,
as well as seeing employees
grow and learn and achieve
such great success. I remember
seeing a young lady, who was
brought on as an ag lender, prove
everyone wrong. She is now a
bank president. She is just one of
many who have been a pleasure to
watch succeed. Then there are the
close family ties we develop with
our customers, sharing in their
joys and sorrows together as close
as any family member could be.
Quentin Leighty
I would have to say buying private
label mortgage-backed securities
during the Great Recession. I
put my neck on the line, after
significant prepurchase analysis,
and recommended to our board
deploying a significant amount
of capital into the asset class.
Our regulators were not quite as
enthusiastic about it as I was. And
after pulling an all-nighter due to
the birth of my third child, I had
a 9 a.m. conference call with our
examiners where they shared
their concerns in a rather stern
manner. Ultimately, the strategy
exceeded our expectations and
helped us generate capital to a
significant extent. To their credit,
the examiners acknowledged
the value of the strategy once
they were able to dig in deeper. I
earned a few gray hairs over that
deal! Also, a lot of rapport with
my board.
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Independent Banker - April 2023

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