Know What is Expected of the Audit Committee Now and Going into 2012

The “M” in CAMELS doesn’t just mean your executive management team. It is also strongly focused on the oversight and leadership provided by the board of directors and its Audit Committee. As asset quality improves, the regulators will have a renewed focus on risk management and governance at the board level. Our industry has faced three of the most challenging years that we could have imagined. The landscape of banking has changed forever and so will the responsibilities of the Audit Committee. 

Set aside a day to work with professionals and your peers and join us for the Directors & Audit Committee Workshop, September 21 in San Francisco or September 28 in Los Angeles. You'll discover new solutions to the changing environment in banking today! In this intensive one-day workshop, we put together a list of the issues that your Audit Committee needs to address during the remainder of 2011, together with your Top 10 Agenda Items that will impact your bank in 2012. 

Click here to register today.

What Not to Do as a Director of a Bank

The FDIC filed suit against directors and officers of Silverton Bank, a bankers' bank headquartered in Atlanta, which failed. If your bank has approved purchase of a corporate jet in recent months forcing you to be undercapitalized, see what's coming! Sounds like an unlikely scenario for a community bank, but this is good reading. You can't make this up!

Board Leadership
Charles Thayer, American Association of Bank Directors

The recent financial crisis turned a spotlight on independent board leadership. Every board is comprised of individuals with different personalities, experience levels, and professional backgrounds; there is no “right answer” for every board. This article, based on our boardroom experience, provides a few thoughts and suggestions for your board to consider.  <read more>

Survey: Is the Worst Over for West Region Bankers?
Jim Pulsipher, Grant Thornton LLP

In this article, Grant Thornton LLP’s Jim Pulsipher discusses West region bankers’ outlook on the economy, key concerns and plans for growth.  <read more>

Five Ways to Improve Board Meetings
Philip Smith, Gerrish, McCreary Smith

With increasing regulation, new regulatory pressures and stockholder demands, board meetings seem to be becoming more inefficient. This article briefly looks at key practical ways Boards can improve their overall operation and efficiency.  <read more>

Building a Strategic Leadership Team: Are You Still Playing with the Same Pieces?
Randall Roth, Vitex, Inc.

One of the best aspects of the community bank is that it is usually just that – a bank of and for the community. In many cases, the leadership of the bank has been handed down with each generation mentoring the next. The benefit to this approach is a deep understanding of the banking environment – “it is in our blood.” There is a potential pitfall in this approach, too. Sometimes, decisions of who should be leading what aspects of the operations, are based on pre-conceived notions or hierarchies that are not always in the best interests of the bank.  <read more>

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