What can you learn at a conference? A lot!

I took time out to attend the Kentucky Bankers Association annual convention at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, IN.  What a great group of people!  There has been some great material covered and it is good to hear the concerns that are going on within the industry.  Here are some brief overviews of what I heard at the event:

The Economy:  Getting better…… nice!  Still not there yet, but the trends are definitely starting to look up and people are starting to buy again.  Houses, cars, etc.

Mergers and acquisitions:  We got a nice overview of the happenings going on and the mergers and acquisitions will continue….. some good, some not so much.  Let’s hope we do not lose the all important local community banks to the large national giants.

Legislation:  This is always a hot topic and the banks are constantly under fire with new laws and regulations.  To add to this conversation was the subject of compliance.  This is a VERY hot topic and was discussed thoroughly with some good Q & A.  Compliance officers seem to be increasingly more difficult to come by and costing more and more, but the liability to the banks is also continuing to increase.  As well as the liability to the board members.  We, as a 3^rd party collection agency for banks, understand this all too well. The general consensus is that the CFPB needs to also consider the liability and responsibility of the consumers that are out there not paying rightful bills.  Let’s just not help people get out of paying their rightful obligations and keep in mind all of the good businesses out there that provide incredible goods and services and deserve to be paid for them.

Golf:  If you can call it that?!?!?!  We had a great team of awesome folks.  My shout out to George and Donna Wise, and Thurmann Senn.  We had a great time and they were great people.  Donna (Coach) has coached college girls basketball for over 30 years and is in the AAIA Hall of Fame!  Awesome stuff.  We may not have been the best on the course, but that is not at all what it was all about.  Great to meet you three and I really enjoyed our time together on Sunday!

Networking:  This is the best part of any convention.  I have the privilege to attend a number of these events and the best part for me is meeting some truly wonderful people.  The members and vendors that are involved in this association are great people.  I thank all of you for your conversations and the stories that you share and allowing me to get to know you a bit.  I look forward to talking with you in the future and I am looking forward to helping many of you in your banks!  Also, this is a great opportunity to see some of our clients.  I appreciate you stopping by and saying “hi” and the feedback about our service.  It is nice to hear that we are having a positive impact in your banks and very nice to hear how well our staff is taking care of you.  From answering the phone to our customer service team, the positive comments were much appreciated.

All in all, this was a great event and I am glad I had the opportunity to be here and share in the convention.  I look forward to many more in the years to come and we appreciate our relationship with the Kentucky Bankers Association as an endorsed vendor!