22 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 The 2020 Indiana Bankers Association Annual Washington Trip took on a different format this year, but continued to render strong participation and advocacy, as it does every year. The Annual Washington Trip is one of the IBA’s most impactful means of engagement in the national political process, providing bankers an opportunity to interact with those who can have a significant impact on the banking industry. The year 2020 has certainly been a year of firsts. For the first time in our history, the IBA hosted the Annual Washington Trip in a virtual format utilizing Zoom calls for meetings with members of Congress and regulators. Although we’d prefer to meet with legislators and regulators in person, because of COVID-19 restrictions, a virtual format was our only option. We’re happy to report that our member bankers, through resilience and flexibility, made the virtual meetings a resounding success. In total, the IBA hosted 18 meetings with regulators and legislators over the course of seven weeks. Below is a summary of meetings held, in the order they took place: • Organizational briefings* – - Indiana Bankers Association - Independent Community Bankers of America - American Bankers Association - Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. - Department of the Treasury - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Office of the Comptroller of the Currency • Meetings with lawmakers/staffs – - Rep. Jim Banks - Rep. Pete Visclosky - Rep. Jackie Walorski - Rep. Trey Hollingsworth - Rep. Greg Pence * Handouts from the IBA, ICBA and ABA briefings are available online at: indiana.bank/iba-virtual-washington-meeting-handouts Dax Denton Senior Vice PresidentGovernment Relations Indiana Bankers Association ddenton@indiana.bank @ibagovrelations Eric J. Augustus Vice President-Government Relations Indiana Bankers Association eaugustus@indiana.bank IBA Annual Washington Trip A virtual success! - Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D. - Rep. André D. Carson - Rep. Jim Baird - Rep. Susan W. Brooks - Sen. Todd Young - Sen. Mike Braun This year provided particularly meaningful discussions among bankers, regulators and legislators. Because bankers have such close relationships with businesses, these regulators and legislators looked to our members to keep them informed about what their constituents needed in recovery efforts. Also discussed were how banks were adapting to continue to serve customers throughout the pandemic. Bankers shared thoughts, concerns and recommendations on a variety of topics, including Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness, credit unions, Community Reinvestment Act modernization, the Farm Credit System and Section 1071-small business lending data, to name a few. These conversations with legislators and regulators were extremely constructive and informative. Because of the virtual format of the IBA Annual Washington Trip, we were joined by more bankers than usual, due to the ease with which bankers could participate. In total, 136 individual bankers spanning 122 IBA-member banks took part in the 2020 Annual Washington Trip. This accomplishment reflects on the dedication of IBA membership. For next year’s trip, it is our hope that we will be able to return to Washington, DC, to visit with lawmakers and regulators in person. In the meantime, thank you to all of the bankers who took part in the 2020 virtual trip. Your participation made this year’s edition of the IBA Annual Washington Trip a success. HB GR SUMMIT
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