Hoosier Banker 7 At the time of this writing, the Indiana legislative session is entering its second half. By the time you receive this issue, the session is nearly over, scheduled to conclude on March 14. 2018 is one of the “short” legislative years in Indiana, which for outside observers seems to end almost as soon as it begins. Surely it doesn’t seem quite that quick for our IBA Government Relations Team. As of now, even with sine die looming near, your IBA team is working as diligently as ever. The challenge in monitoring legislation is not so much in voicing support or opposition to bills. The challenge is in checking each and every bill, over and over, to make sure that no amendments from previously killed bills have been slipped in. That means copious readings, listening in on hearings and meetings, and keeping an ear to the ground in conversations with others in the Statehouse. Legislatively, our year got off to a strong start, and I want to thank the nearly 160 bankers, who joined with approximately 40 legislators, for this year’s IBA Legislative Day on Jan. 30. This annual event is wellregarded by members of the Indiana General Assembly. For members of the IBA board, Legislative Day stretches long, but it’s important. Board members meet in the morning, are joined at lunchtime by members of the IBA Government Relations Committee, then take part in an afternoon-long GR Committee meeting, where we hear a detailed review of all of the pending bills that could affect banking. Following the GR Committee meeting is the actual Legislative Briefing – attended by a larger crowd of bankers and IBA associate members – with another summary of bills of interest to bankers. Then comes the Legislative Reception itself. By this time, we bankers are well prepared to converse with legislators about bills that pertain to banking, and our legislators appreciate it. Because as long as the day is for bankers, it’s longer still for senators, representatives and other elected officials. They’ve completed an intense day of bill review, committee meetings, votes, readings and endless conversations. When they come to the IBA Legislative Reception, they can rely on a warm welcome and an informed constituency. A listing of some of the more pertinent legislation appears in Dax Denton’s legislative article on page 17. To summarize, general topics of interest this year include escrow accounts, bonding procedures, notarial acts, credit services organizations, unclaimed property, electronic titles, unsecured consumer instalment loans, and consumer credit. Beyond Indiana, it is important to keep our eyes on the national landscape, as well. Since my last column in Hoosier Banker, the federal government has shut down twice – though one shutdown started at night and ended by morning, so it was relatively painless. We’ve also experienced a stock market adjustment that was within the guidelines of what we’ve been expecting – yet it still felt jarring. Some good news: Tax reform legislation has prompted at least one IBA-member bank to cite new tax rules as the impetus for a spike in small business loans. We also saw two IBA-member bankers – Gene Miles and a member of his team – head to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of Sen. Todd Young, to attend the State of the Union address in person. See page 45 for details and a Facebook video link. But we can’t let down our guard, as misunderstandings and misrepresentations of banking can happen at any time. In midFebruary, the Center for Investigative Reporting published findings from an analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. This information was picked up by a national media outlet, which promptly ran an accusatory article based on the data release, but with inaccurate conclusions drawn. The article made the egregious claim that the HMDA data show a pattern of “troubling denials” for minorities in markets across the country. The authors apparently overlooked that the initial sample size of the data was too small to be statistically appropriate. They also overlooked the fact that HMDA data alone is not enough to come to the conclusion that racial discrimination has taken place. HMDA data can only determine if a disparity exists, with no explanation. Yet the explanation is important; this is why federal regulators review loan file information along with HMDA data. So we still have work to do, and we always will. As we head into the spring season, the IBA GR Team will continue to reach out for grassroots advocacy support. We rely heavily on the IBA team, and that reliance is reciprocal. Bankers are the constituents whose voices legislators especially want to hear. Please step up and speak up in support of the industry when asked. Along the lines of supporting this industry, a new way this year to bring positive attention to your institution, while supporting the Association, is to participate in the inaugural IBA Leaders in Banking Excellence awards program. Details are on page 3, or visit indianabankers.org/leaders-banking-excellence to read more. The awards are your opportunity to honor those individuals, past and present, who have led your institution to excellence. I am proud to be a banker. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your chairman this year, as we all work together to continue to keep our industry strong. HB Clay W. Ewing Chairman Indiana Bankers Association President, Chief Banking 3JƤGIV ERH 7IGVIXEV] to the Board of Directors German American Bancorp Inc., Jasper CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
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