December 17, 2021

Banks and financial institutions rely on technology to operate successfully and provide customers the best products and services. With technology, though, comes the heightened risk of falling victim to wire fraud schemes that can result in significant financial losses.

The pandemic has brought a lot of change to financial institutions, including how to engage with your borrowers, serve their needs, and drive additional revenue into your bank. For many, this includes looking at partnering with alternative lenders.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) discussions in the investing world have quickly become ubiquitous. ESG criteria are standards of a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. Social criteria examine its relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates.

In a long career focused on credit risk, I’ve never found myself saying that the industry’s biggest lending challenge is finding loans to make.

VACB Executive Committee

Grainger Del Rio & Meredith Little with ProcessMaker presenting their prize to Lisa Kilgour, MainStreet Bank Sanjay Bhaskar and Brendon DiBella with Atlas Powered by StreetShares presenting their prize to Jay Hendricks, Village Bank Brian Kain with SHAZAM presenting their prize to Neil Burke, Benchmark Community Bank Atlas Powered by StreetShares Echo 10 Show Won

VACB members gathered at Hotel Roanoke in early October for a live, in-person convention after a 24-month hiatus and a virtual convention in 2020. Although attendance was a little lighter due to concerns over COVID, members were excited to be meeting in person and spent the three days in Roanoke enjoying time together and bringing VACB’s formula for convention success to life.

Among the positives to be noted during the delay in our full economic recovery, one bright spot would be the staying power of the impression made in your role as community bankers. You’ve saved jobs and small businesses across Virginia and beyond through the last twenty-plus months. Employers and employees alike continue to mention that,

I want to begin by saying thank you. Thank you for your membership in the VACB, thank you for your attendance at the 2021 Annual Convention in Roanoke, and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Chairman over the next 12 months.