Contents ©2025 West Virginia Bankers Association (WVBA) | The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. West Virginia Banker is published four times per year by The newsLINK Group LLC for WVBA and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of WVBA, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. West Virginia Banker is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of WVBA. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. 6 19 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 4 Banker Concerns Shared With the WVBA Help Shape ABA Federal Priorities By Mark Mangano, President & CEO, WVBankers 6 Getting to Know Chad Prather, 2025‑2026 West Virginia Bankers Chairman 8 Creating Political Change By Bryce Himelrick, Government Affairs Strategist, WVBankers 9 Thank You to Our Sponsors 131st WVBankers Annual Convention 10 West Union Bank Announces New President and CEO Amid Retirement of Longtime Leader 12 Leveling the Playing Field By Dr. Sean Payant, President, Haberfeld 14 Wage and Hour Audit Are Your Mortgage Loan Officers Correctly Classified? By Julie A. Moore, Esq., Partner, Bowles Rice LLP 16 Beyond the Headlines Decoding the Latest Trends in Small Business By David Adams, Head of Commercial Product Marketing, Equifax 19 Anti-Financial Crime Investigations Signal Future of Bank Compliance By Shaun Harms, Principal, and Vishal Shah, Director, Forvis Mazars 21 Model Risk Management Best Practices A Substantial Focus on Definition, Governance Best Practices and an Emphasis on Model Validations By Kaitlyn E. Gasper, CAMS, CFE, Vice President, Principal, Risk Advisory, S.R. Snodgrass PC Cover Photo: Fall 2025 Chairman Cover Photo and Convention Photography provided by Erin Hurst, Erin Hurst Photography, Charleston, West Virginia (www.erinhurstphotography.com) 2 WEST VIRGINIA BANKER
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