Volume 6, Issue 2
The Banker’s Advocate
State Bank Department
June 30, 2009
Basics can offer
buffer to shocks
in tough climate
By Richard S. Plotkin
Editor Hot
Have the time-tested
sayings of yesteryear ever
Topic
been more relevant to
Training for
community bankers?
asset quality remains a ma-
jor concern,” FDIC Chair-
new directors
“It’s always“It’s darkest
before the dawn.”
man Sheila C. Bair an-
set at 3 sites
While Arkansas bankers
nounced on May 27.
continue to post ratios
“Banks are making good
that are better than the
efforts to deal with the
national average, the ag-
challenges they’re facing,
gregate performance of
but today’s report says that
community banks with
we’re not out of the woods
main offices in the state
yet.”
Arkansas Bankers Association
declined in the first quar-
See HOT TOPIC, Page 8
MIXED MESSAGE: Chris Low, chief economist for FTN
ter of 2009.
Financial, addresses an audience of about 300 at Day With
“The first-quarter results
Key Metric
are telling us that the

The Commissioner in Hot Springs on May 1. Low said he
banking industry still faces
 Banks should monitor
expects the recession to end in the second half of 2009, but
tremendous challenges,
ALLL-to-Noncurrent
that the economic recovery will be mild and could be char-
and that going forward,
Loans ratio. Page 3.
acterized by “a lot of false starts.” See article on page 6.
The Commissioner’s View
Milner says plan
validates dual
CSBS reaccreditation
banking system
lifts staff performance
EDITOR’S NOTE: The
following is a condensed
version of a June 17 state-
Every five years, our national organization
ment by Neil Milner, presi-
office does a role reversal serves as an advocate and
dent and CEO of the Con-
and is the subject of an training resource for state
ference of State Bank Su-
pervisors.
on-site “examination.” bank regulators. The financial regulatory
The review is part of a CSBS established a Per-
reform plan released today
professional reaccredita- formance Standards Com-
Candace Franks
by the Obama administra-
tion we seek from the mittee to conduct its ac-
comprehensive review of
creditation program. The
a state bank department’s tion would make significant
Conference of State Bank
core of the program is a
ability to discharge its changes to our nation’s
Supervisors (CSBS). This
See VIEW, Page 2
See REFORM, Page 2
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