Texas Banking

The Hispanic population, which is large and getting larger, offers a huge opportunity for marketers and banks to gain incremental business. The Latino population is exploding everywhere, but here in Texas, it grew a whopping 54% in just the last 10 years. This is great news for the banking industry, as the majority of Hispanics are unbanked. Spanish is a critical part of reaching Latinos, but to really be effective, banks have to understand levels of acculturation. Acculturation is defined as...

Drowning in Alphabet Soup

The alphabet soup of regulations costs Texas banks, in an extremely conservative measurement, nearly $119 million per year, not to mention hours out of the business day that could be spent providing actual bank services. "The Impact of Regulatory Burden on Texas Banks," a survey recently released by Sam Houston State University, quantifies the time and dollars spent by Texas banks to comply with regulations. Wes Hoskins, chair of the Community Bankers Council, points out that since banks pass...

Banking Bytes

Chairman's Forum

'One Industry. One Vision. One Voice'

Last year after the author accepted the gavel from TBA's first female chairman Debbie Kovacevich he unveiled the new TBA tagline, "One Industry. One Vision. One Voice." This tagline pretty much sums up his year as chairman. The day before he took office, the membership voted to merge with the Texas Savings and Community Bankers Association. TBA is also joining forces on promoting financial literacy. The TBA Foundation recently committed $25,000 to partner with the IBAT Education Foundation on...

News & Trends

Ironstone Bank Plans to Add Third Texas Market

Wells Fargo Cited for Diversity

Credit Card Loan Delinquencies Hold Steady

Credit card loan delinquencies were basically unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the American Bankers Association's Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. The composite ratio, which tracks delinquencies in eight closed-end installment loan categories, increased to 2.23 in the fourth quarter, compared to 2.12% in the third quarter. This increase was driven by delinquencies in indirect auto loans, which are arranged through dealerships, and home equity loans. Additionally, del...

Bankers More Cautious About State of Economy for 2007

More than four out of 10 bankers (43%) feel uncertain about prospects for the national economy in 2007 and more than a third (38%) are on the fence about the country moving in the right direction, according to Grant Thornton's 14th Annual Survey of Bank Executives. Bankers are taking a cautious stance on both the state of the economy and banking for 2007. While bankers use a variety of compensation strategies for executive and non-executive employees, cash is by far the most frequently report...

We Wish to Welcome and Thank Our Newest Associate Members

Independent Bank Opens New Facility

Bank Vice President Honored

Bank of America Donates $1 Million for Pediatric Facility

Addressing one of the biggest issues facing Houstonians and Americans today -- that of access to quality health care, regardless of an individual's ability to pay -- Texas Children's Hospital and Bank of America were recently joined by Houston Mayor Bill White to celebrate the opening of the fourth Texas Children's Pediatric Associates Project Medical Home. The $1 million gift from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation is the lead funding source for this new center and will supplement exi...

Comerica Bank Continues South Texas Expansion

What's Hot With Tbasco

Overdraft Privilege Programs Are Your Best Noninterest Income Opportunity

The year 2006 was yet another record year for the banking industry. Texas banks also enjoyed another record year -- or at least another good one. Even so, many Texas bankers are concerned about the future. Texas bankers are also concerned about the downward trends in their net interest margin in recent years. For virtually all community banks, the single largest source of noninterest income is overdraft services. The only way to know for sure is to have the industry's best overdraft services ...

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Your Advocate

Midsession Legislative Report: Banking Issues in the 80th Session

Message From The President

Tba Tackles Two Conferences Under One Roof

On March 28-March 30, the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop was buzzing with bankers, bank counsel, CPAs and trust management professionals as TBA held two conferences at once -- the 86th Wealth Management and Trust Conference and the 33rd Annual Legal Conference. TBA EVP John Brigance and his outstanding volunteer leadership work closely to serve the unique needs of wealth management and trust companies and professionals. The mission of the Wealth Management and Trust Division is to...

Banker To Banker

Celebrating the Year of the Pig

The Year of the Pig or Boar dawned on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007, but because of the Monday Presidents Day holiday, many bank celebrations were postponed until the following Tuesday. The actual date always falls on the second new moon following the winter solstice. The two-day delay did not dampen the festive atmosphere that rang in the Year 4704 one bit, however. The Chinese New Year is actually a celebration of the coming of spring, and most events around the globe last for 15 days. The preparat...

Legal Hotline

Answers to Your Legal Questions

Questions on keeping identifying documents and bank liability on postdated checks are answered. Keeping a copy of a green card in the loan file if a loan applicant is not a US citizen is not a violation. Also, it is not a violation to keep a copy of a driver's license in a loan file. The controversy is whether this is a potentially dangerous practice of getting monitoring information improperly and could it be deemed discriminatory. Many of the provisions found in the most recent version of t...

Community Banker: Spotlight

Reaching Out to Hispanic Immigrants

Growing up in the border town of Rio Grande City, Ricardo Chapa was well versed in the Hispanic culture. In late 2004, Chapa, with 25 years of banking experience under his belt, was approached to lead a new Austin bank that would serve the vibrant and growing Hispanic market, particularly recent immigrants. Although extensive, Chapa's knowledge of the Hispanic market did not fully prepare him for running a bank that courts recent immigrants. The concept of Libertad Bank was the brainchild of ...

From The Editor

123 Years of Tba Conventions

With only one exception, the Texas Bankers Association has held a Convention every year since it was founded in 1885. During the early years of the association, Conventions served as a forum for the eloquent rhetoric of the banker-orators, whose words had an impact in reforming and shaping the banking industry. Today, Convention is an opportunity for bankers to get together during the various social opportunities while they gain insight into important banking issues and trends during the educ...

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Firstbank Southwest Sponsors Amarillo Nursing Home