Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 4

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S January • February 2015 5 We all reap the benefits of the great work the Colorado Bankers Association does at the legislature, in Washington D.C. and in our communities to promote and protect our industry. For decades, the organization’s advocacy – led by President and CEO Don Childears, SVP Jenifer Waller and our board of directors has effected positive change for our banks – and more importantly, our customers. Here are a couple “wins” that we are also benefitting from, which you may not know about. 2015 ends with a number of examples of this type of hard-won success. Don Childears spearheaded a task force of state banking association executives and representatives from the American Bankers Association – launched in 2014 – to achieve regulatory relief for banks, and the results are palpable. He helped to author a bill being carried by U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado, H.R. 2896, the Taking Ac- count of Institutions with Low Operational Risk (TAILOR) Act. The bill seeks to give financial regulators the ability to appropriately tailor regulations to fit a bank or credit union’s business model and risk profile. CBAmet with Representative Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat also from Colorado, to encourage him to support his fellow legislator’s bill rather than to pursue a competing idea. Per- lmutter has since become the first from his political party to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill. Just weeks ago here in Colorado, CBA successfully – and quietly – lobbied Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman against signing onto a letter being circulated to attorneys general across the country as part of an effort – led by big box retailers – to mandate PIN numbers along with EMV chips in payment cards. Ahead of the 2016 legislative session, CBA is working to coordinate an informational hearing to educate state legislators and others about the realities of the EMV chip technology now in place in payment cards and processing systems. We expect the interchange fight to persist in the 2016 legislative session and CBA is doing everything it can to insulate our industry from harmful and unnecessary laws and regulations. I would be remiss if I did not point out not only the importance and need for banker input and advocacy, but also the effective part FirstBank’s Jim Reuter has played in educating lawmakers on this and other payments issues. He played an instrumental role in the eventual death of an interchange bill posed in the 2015 session, which sought to prohibit interchange fees being charged on the sales tax portion of a transaction. ANBBank/SturmFinancial’s Koger Propst also gave influential testimony on the proposal. The beginning of a new year is a time of renewed hope and an opportunity for a fresh start, and as our bankers know, yet another opportunity for assault on our indus- try. We will need your assistance, your input, and most importantly, your support as we continue our slog toward regulatory relief and a better tomorrow for banks and our customers.  Mark Bower Home State Bank 2015 CBA Chairman BEHIND THE SCENES AND FRONT OF MIND CBA’s Work for Banks is Constant, Calculated and Often, Quiet