Pub. 6 2017 Issue 8

l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s 6 2017 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK & RISK MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE T HE WICHITA MARRIOTT was the location for the 2017 Economic & Risk Management Conference on November 7-8. With many CEO’s, CFO’s and investment bankers on hand, the content was high level and provided up-to-date information for bank planning and strategizing. KBAChairman Ron Johnson, Community National Bank, Seneca, welcomed attendees to Wichita before introducing the first keynote speaker, Dr. Ed Seifried, Lafayette College and Seifried & Brew. In his talk titled, “Economic Outlook for 2017-18: It’s Been a Long Time Since Our Last Recession,” Dr. Seifried discussed the reasons we haven’t seen inflation and unemployment following the long period of quantitative easing and how the Federal Reserve might unwind its enormous balance sheet. Using an analysis of business cycles, the composite leading index and ISM manufacturing index, he does not forecast a recession in 2018. “Cyber Risk – Some Close Calls and a Few Ounces of Prevention,” was the topic presented by Craig Collins, OneBeacon Financial Services. Collins addressed the topic of cyber liability like a story teller and included a few recommendations to avoid traps. Corporate account takeovers, wire transfer fraud, internal social engineering and ransomware can make a banker want to run for the hills but Collins was able to break it down into small segments with a host of best practice recommendations. The conference had multiple options for breakout sessions that included: • “Sensitivity and Stress Testing the Portfolio” Dale Pfeifer, Central States Capital Markets • “Is Your Liquidity Strategy Ready?” Lance Caldwell, Promontory Interfinancial • “Managing Through the Turn” Steve Twersky, FTN Financial • “Compliance Risk for Bank Management” Dylan Serrault and Neal Barclay, KBA Leaders are faced with increasing hazards while trying to acquire top talent that fits well into their organizational culture. The importance of training managers to mitigate risks, while integrating questions to assess competencies related to the position and the culture can be tricky. Karen Shannon is a consultant for a firm called Ollis/Akers/Arny, and she walked through the obstacle course of interview questions, how to retain millennials, and the three drivers of employee engagement. Day two of the conference began with a “Banking Legislation and Regulatory Update” by ABA’s Wayne Abernathy. With an upbeat delivery, Abernathy reported that he is optimistic about the things happening that may facilitate regulatory relief in coming months. Some of the changes he outlined included changes in leadership among Clark Boyer, KANZA Bank, Kingman and Frank Suellentrop, Legacy Bank, Wichita. James Moore and Jordan Lauer, both from Farmers State Bank, Westmoreland. KBA Chairman Ron Johnson, Community National Bank, Seneca, opened the conference with a welcome and introductions. Shan Hanes, First National Bank of Elkhart, Elkhart; KBA Past Chairman Jim Hoskins, Baxter State Bank, Baxter Springs: and Kelly Mason, First National Bank in Pratt, Pratt. The opening keynote speaker was Dr. Ed Seifried, Lafayette College and Seifried & Brew. Wayne Abernathy, EVP for Financial Institutions at ABA, opened day two with a talk on current happenings on Capitol Hill.