Hoosier Banker 7 I would like to start my year as chairman by thanking Andrew Briggs and his wife, Rhonda, for being such good friends. My wife, Sue, and I have enjoyed getting to know Andrew and Rhonda over the years by traveling to Washington D.C. together on the Indiana Bankers Association Annual Washington Trip. Andrew has not only been a great chairman this past year, he has been a great mentor. I have learned much from him, and we have had a lot of good times together, so thanks again to my friend Andrew. A couple of weeks after the IBA Annual Convention, I started visiting banks around the state. As of this writing, I have visited about 25. I started in Clarksville with Larry Myers,* since he was the last (probably only) chairman to visit every bank. Since then I have been all over the state, but I still have a lot of distance to cover. I have been amazed by the wonderful receptions and visits so far. Everybody has been extremely welcoming and willing to talk not only about the Association, but also about their banks. I try to post pictures on Twitter as I travel the state, so people can follow along with my travels (@LucasNWhite). Everyone knows there are big banks and small banks in Indiana, but the diversity of our banks is much greater than size alone. I have met with banks of all sizes. Some are publicly traded. Some are family-owned. The number of employees has ranged from 800+ all the way down to five. I expected those differences. What I did not expect was how we all have a different plan to succeed based on our philosophy, time horizon, ownership and communities. Some banks are content with their current size and situation. Other banks are trying to grow. Some banks are pursuing growth through acquisitions. Other banks prefer de novo branches over acquisitions. Of those banks with a branching strategy, some branch into large metropolitan areas, and yet others target medium-sized towns or even small towns from which larger banks have withdrawn. Everyone has a different strategy, and they all make sense given the individual bank’s philosophy and goals. We are lucky in the United States to have a community banking model. No other country in the world has as many banks as we do, and as I travel around the state it is clear that our communities benefit from our banking model. Our small towns with banks are much more vibrant than those without banks. If we had a different banking model, it would be our small communities and pioneering spirit that would suffer. It is also clear from my visits that the IBA is held in high regard, and that every bank finds value in it. Whether it is the education, government relations, Preferred Service Providers or networking opLucas White Chairman Indiana Bankers Association President The Fountain Trust Company, Covington @LucasNWhite CHAIRMAN’S REPORT NOTABLE QUOTES Bank Community Service on Twitter Home Bank • @HomeBank_1890 • Nov. 25 Huge “thank you” to all of our customers who opened their accounts in Plainfield between September 14th and October 21st - you raised $1,000 for Family Promise of Hendricks County. #gathergrowgive #makinglivesbetter Stock Yards Bank • @sybsince1904 • Nov. 13 The Indianapolis Sales Team recently presented The Salvation Army with a donation for their Angel Tree Initiative. With this donation, several children will be provided with gifts to help make the holidays a special time. Many thanks to those who made this possible! MutualBank • @MutualBank • Nov. 7 During the month of November, each of our Financial Centers will be collecting non-perishable food items for local food banks. Want to help? Donations can be dropped off at any of our Financial Centers. For a complete listing, please visit: bankwithmutual.com German American Bank • @_GermanAmerican • Nov. 5 German American Bank presented a check for $75,000 to Tri-County YMCA’s Reimagine Your Y Capital Campaign today. These funds will have a direct impact on the facility and programming expansion the Tri-County YMCA plans to complete mid year of 2020. Security Federal Savings Bank • @sfsbank • Nov. 4 We have several morning appointments available for our November 14th blood drive. Will you be a lifesaver? Please sign up to give blood if you are eligible. Follow IBA Twitter @indianabankers Twitter portunities, every bank I have met with finds value in the Association. The high quality of our staff has also been a recurring comment during my visits. On the Association front, our Government Relations Team has been busy preparing for the 2020 legislative session by working throughout the General Assembly interim committee process in August, September and October. The IBA GR Team continues to address reforming and modernizing the Uniform Consumer Credit Code. In addition, our team has been working on policy matters related to estate law, foreclosure process, elder financial exploitation protection, and problems related to the telephone solicitation registration and credit rating reporting. The upcoming short session will undoubtedly bring about new issues for the IBA to use our voice, and I hope you’ll be involved in advocacy. One of the topics I enjoy chatting about during bank visits is the importance of grassroots connection with elected officials. Please let 2020 be the year that you explore grassroots advocacy, if you haven’t in the past. Or if you’re already part of IBA’s robust government relations, thank you for the part you’ve played in helping us to keep our industry strong and vibrant. HB * Larry W. Myers, president and CEO of First Savings Bank, Clarksville, visited every IBA-member bank headquartered in Indiana during his tenure as 2015 IBA chairman.
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