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Get
the Tools You Need to Fulfill Your Role
Nancy E. Sheppard, WIB President & CEO
WIB is one of the
foremost providers of director education in the West. Keeping bank directors
up-to-speed on industry rules and changes is the first step in good corporate
governance. Just ask the regulators. One way to be sure you have access to the
latest information needed to fulfill your role within the bank is to attend the Annual
Bank Directors Conference, presented with the American Association of Bank
Directors. This year's conference will be held November 8-10 in Indian Wells, Calif. , and will feature industry experts speaking on topics such as succession
planning, compensation, stock valuation and compliance relating specifically to
directors. Plus, our Peer Exchange Sessions will give you the unique opportunity
to discuss issues with other Western directors. I hope to see you there.
Strategic
Issues
Strategy 101,
Part VI
By Cass Bettinger, Cass Bettinger & Associates
Return on equity (ROE) has
but two drivers; return on assets (ROA) and the equity multiplier (EM), and the
equity multiplier (EM). Previous columns have addressed strategies for managing
the ROA drivers. In Strategy 101: Part VI, the focus will be on five of the six
drivers of the equity multiplier. <read more>
The
Compelling Need for Great Planning
By John
Oliver,
Laurel
Management Systems
About 10 years ago, John
Naisbitt coined the term “Megatrends” to describe phenomena that have
derailed many successful companies over the years. A number of these Megatrends
impact us today in the banking sector and proactively planning how to deal with
them is essential for any board. <read more>
Capital Management - Cash
Dividends versus Share Buybacks
By Jeffrey
Wishner, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods
We
often get the following question from our bank and thrift clients who feel that
their capital is growing faster than their assets, which contributes to an
increase in capital ratios and a decrease to their reported return on equity -
“What’s the best way to return capital to shareholders: cash dividends or
share buybacks?” The answer depends on a variety of factors which we will
address in this quarter’s Director’s Digest. <read more>
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
What
Does Corporate Governance Mean for Private Companies?
By
Philip
Smith, Gerrish McCreary Smith, PC
Many
private companies assume that corporate governance is not something to be
concerned about or that it is an expensive proposition. This article outlines practical corporate governance steps for private
companies that promote stockholder value without costing the organization
excessive money. <read more>
General
Interest
ERM
- Just Do It!! - Just K.I.S.S. It!!
By
Howard Gould, Carpenter & Company
Enterprise
Risk Management implementation seems a daunting task to many bankers and their
board. It doesn’t need to be. Don’t be paralyzed contemplating how to start
a big bang approach, just use existing resources, get started very simply, then
build your ERM competencies from this elementary foundation. Try a simple
“heat map” and get started.
<read more>
Lessons
for Everyone from SOX 404
By Larry Raber, Perry-Smith LLP
Compliance
has become a dirty word: consumer compliance, BSA compliance, SOX compliance -
it’s time to turn things around and use SOX as a vehicle for positive change.
<read
more>
Information
Security: New Challenges Demand More Board
Attention and Resources
By Maureen Young, Bingham
McCutchen LLP
Although
there has been some recent legislative attention paid to increasing merchants’
and others’ liability for bank losses as a result of security breaches, banks
need to remain focused on strengthening their own internal security procedures. Key areas to focus on include reducing the amount of data retained;
building effective breach response programs; deploying encryption and
multifactor authentication technologies; strengthening oversight of service
providers; and improving monitoring and detection systems.
<read
more>
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