Hoosier Banker 17 organization had been proactive with the media, so we needed to modify our communications area to add media proactivity. Those were the handful of goals that I came in with.” What were the challenges to those goals? “It was change. There are people who embrace change, there are people who fight change, and there are people who grudgingly will accept change. We had to get all of those groups to embrace this change. Fortunately we had an incredible group of very talented people on staff, with many years of service to the Association and to banking. That depth of experience, professionalism and talent made change much easier. “People recognized that things weren’t going to be the same. Everybody was willing ‒ and this still amazes me today ‒ but everyone was willing to look at their own areas and say, ‘We need to change this and that.’ We received a great deal of support and buy-in from the entire staff, and that’s what made it work.” What were the biggest challenges to the industry throughout your career? “During my 47-year career, I would say that there have been five trends or challenges that have changed our business significantly. The first is consolidation of the banking industry ‒ the mergers and acquisitions. We have gone from just short of 20,000 banks and thrifts in this country to now under 6,000. Consolidation has been huge during my career and has had a real impact on the industry. It has had an impact on rural America. It’s had an impact on consumers. And it’s certainly had an impact on the trade associations that represent banks. “No. 2 is technological changes. Technology has been immense during my career, particularly in customer accessibility to information. When I started, customers either came into the bank for whatever information was needed to take care of the transaction, or they could call in for limited information. Today people are carrying around mobile devices with access to all that information. They can go to ATMs to get money. They can go to desktops for information. There are so many more ways that banks provide information to customers today. Joe DeHaven displays a plaque of appreciation for his career contributions, presented to him by the IBA board of directors. .SI (I,EZIR NSMRW XLI QYWMG KVSYT 0EH] %RXIFIPPYQ SRWXEKI EX E FIRIƤX GSRGIVX JSV the New Hope Services / Indiana Bankers Association Disaster Relief Fund, following the deadly tornados in Henryville in 2012. All of the $380,000 raised, through the concert and other efforts, went to families and businesses affected by the storms. “No. 3 would be the excessive regulatory burden that has been cast upon the banking industry. There has been a lot of regulatory burden cast upon business in general, but probably the banking industry and healthcare have undergone the most. In banking, it is over the top and way out of line. That has been a profound change in the industry in the last 40 years. “No. 4 has been the growth and proliferation of tax-advantaged competitors, such as credit unions and the Farm Credit System, that have created such an uneven, unfair playing field for financial services provision. Those entities can grow at a much faster rate than banks, simply because they don’t have to write big checks to Uncle Sam, and they have far exceeded the providing of services within their original missions. There needs to be a recognition of that in Washington, D.C., and it needs to be corrected. “No. 5 is the damage that was done during the financial crisis to the pristine image that bankers deservedly earned for the first 40 years of my career. Within the last seven to eight years, that image has been seriously tarnished by the acts of a few, most of whom weren’t actually bankers. That has really changed our industry. It contributed to and forced much of the consolidation that I mentioned earlier. The regulatory burden also caused a lot of the consolidation. “These are the five overriding factors that have changed the industry during my 47 years and, unfortunately, they’re all still out there. We still have consolidation. We are getting a whole new round of technology challenges with fintech. The regulatory burden hasn’t turned the corner yet. The tax-exempt organizations are growing rampantly. And with our image, we take two steps forward and one step back, so gaining the pristine image back will take considerably longer than what it did to lose it.” What do you think will be viewed as your legacy as 2007-2016 leader of the IBA?
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