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Welcome to the ABA Bank Directors Briefing website!

ABA Bank Directors Briefing is a monthly four-page newsletter published by the editors of ABA Banking Journal in cooperation with the American Bankers Association. While many community bank executives read it, it is written especially with the nonbanker, outside bank director in mind. It has been published for 30 years.

ABA Bank Directors Briefing focuses on four distinct missions:

Keeping bank directors informed about legislative and regulatory developments.

Summarizing important banking industry trends.

Updating all directors on the latest thinking in corporate governance, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Educating new directors in the basics of community bank directorship.

HOW STRONG IS YOUR BANK’S
RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM?

Many types of risk wait to bite your bank, and the board members, too. Travelers’ Mark Horton sets out a three-step program for asserting better risk control in a community bank. A key effort is making sure the bank has arranged for adequate insurance coverages that don’t leave potentially expensive gaps where the bank is unprotected.

ABA/ABA BANK DIRECTORS BRIEFING SLATE 2009 TELEPHONE SEMINAR SCHEDULE

ABA’s America’s Community Bankers Council, working in conjunction with ABA Bank Directors Briefing newsletter, has announced a series of four seminars for bank directors. Mark your calendars now: April 8, July 8, Sept. 23; and Dec. 3. Here’s the lineup:

April 8: Boards and Strategic Planning In A Challenging Environment, Program 15414:
Is strategic planning only about good times? Of course not. Boards that plan for their banks to be around tomorrow need to rethink their approaches to strategic planning today.

July 8: Regulatory Update For The Board, Program 15415:
Bank boards face a regulatory blizzard unlike anything seen in at least a decade. Regulatory experts will give directors the latest “lay of the land,” six months into the Obama Administration, as well as summaries and forecasts on key regulatory initiatives.

Sept. 23: Directors and Regulators: Understanding The Examination And Enforcement Process, Program 15416:
Conditions have grown tougher. Field examiners have, too. Experts will provide an overview of how bank exams work under current conditions; tips on putting the bank’s best foot forward; a review of regulatory enforcement; and advice on navigating the system.

Dec. 3: The New Basics of Asset-Liability Management for Directors, Program 15417:
Many of the basics of bank portfolios and asset-liability management have been shaken in the course of current events. Exercising oversight in such uncertain times demands a fresh look at this key discipline of banking.

All sessions are on Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. ET. Further details and registration information http://www.aba.com/Solutions/BankDirectors.htm

For further information, e-mail to tleiva@aba.com

YOUR BOARD, COMPLIANCE, AND “ERM”:
7 Steps to better compliance risk control
Too often, compliance risks come from the places where management and

board least expect them, says veteran compliance expert Jo Ann S. Barefoot in ABA Banking Journal. What’s lacking? Too often, bank systems don’t organize key data in ways that will quickly draw executive and director attention to areas needing remediation. The systems fail to support senior management and board decisionmaking. Barefoot presents a seven-step blueprint to enable the board-management team to turn that overwhelming feeling to a feeling of victory. Click here to read the article.

HOW FIRST CITIZENS STATE BANK’S BOARD SELF-EVALUATES

Many bank boards have adopted self-evaluation forms and other procedures, sometimes obtained from consultants, sometimes from associations. Director Carroll Olm of Wisconsin’s First Citizens State Bank devised his own, and it’s one of the best we’ve seen. Click here to read the story of his form, and to download a copy.

ABA Bank Directors Briefing, 345 Hudson St., New York, N.Y. 10014. Editorial office: Steve Cocheo, editor, scocheo@sbpub.com, 212-620-7219. Circulation matters (address changes, etc.) only: 800-895-4389.