NY/NJ CHAPTER HOSTS

2019 EAST COAST REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Members Learn from Industry Experts While Enjoying the Jersey Shore Resort Experience
 

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID LAUWE - META4 COMMUNICATIONS

 

The Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, NJ was the sight of the 2019 FMS East Coast Regional Conference. The resort is located on the beach facing the Atlantic Ocean and offered attendees the finest in hospitality, rooms with a fabulous ocean view, direct beach access, a spa, two sparkling pools and countless amenities. Restaurants and shops are located just a short stroll away.

The event was hosted by the NY/NJ Chapter and was held from Sunday, September 8 through Tuesday, September 10, 2019. The Conference offered an extensive program of contemporary educational sessions for the community banking executive featuring presentations by leading industry specialists. The event was attended by more than 120 Members and guests from the Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and NY/NJ Chapters.

Members and guests were welcomed on Sunday afternoon at the Registration Desk in the main lobby sponsored by Mercadien. Attendees received Conference name tags and a beach bag fully stocked with useful goodies provided by the event’s sponsors. On Sunday evening, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York sponsored a fabulous Bonfire Welcome Reception under the palm trees on the beach. The event featured an open bar and an endless array of appetizers with a harvest moon to provide the perfect mood lighting. Members exchanged executive tales and toasted marshmallows while relaxing around the bonfire. The night was capped off perfectly by a Tiki Bar event sponsored by P&G Associates.

Texas Capital Bank sponsored a hearty buffet breakfast served in the hotel dining room before Members assembled in the spacious Atlantic Ballroom on Monday morning. Sal Zerilli, Immediate Chapter Past President, opened the Conference and welcomed attendees to the event, while also serving as moderator.

The morning program featured a series of five information technology sessions each presented by expert speakers who addressed important aspects that banking executives need to consider or evaluate.

Will Nowik of Wolf & Co., a frequent speaker at Chapter events, presented Stepping Up Your Cybersecurity Management where he identified potential network vulnerabilities and recommended solutions that management should consider when formulating a formal security plan. Danny Baker of Fiserv presented Digitization and Transformation of Finance which discussed the challenges institutions will face as information needs change over the next several years. He outlined the best practices in transforming and digitizing financial processes to gain efficiency and the keys to delivering effective managerial insights to management.

Aaron Silva, CEO of Paladin fs, delivered perhaps the most entertaining as well as informative session entitled What if Trump Negotiated Your Next Core IT Deal? Aaron presented solutions using effective “tweets” from President Trump to successfully negotiate a bank’s IT contract when faced with the apparent monopoly that the largest providers exert over the marketplace.

Prashant Nisar from RSM US moderated a panel discussion with three industry experts regarding innovative data and financial services solutions. Eric Segal and Rob Milrod from CFO Consulting Partners presented FinTech is Coming Here in which they identified the challenges Bank CFOs will face with implementing FinTech solutions.

Following a buffet luncheon, KT Trivedi and Jim Oleff from Crowe presented a financial reporting update that outlined the latest developments in FASB, SEC and bank regulatory reporting. A trio of asset/liability and investment management sessions closed out the formal Monday program. Mark Haberland of Darling Consulting Group presented liquidity strategies to position banks for optimum returns in the current rate environment. Members then learned valuable strategic growth implications in light of the continuing decline in deposit growth during The Deposit Dilemma presented by Adam Mustafa from Invictus. Jim Powell of Multi-Bank Securities concluded the program by reviewing Freddie Mac Multifamily mortgage securitization programs and CRA investment opportunities.

The Chapter sponsored a very enjoyable dinner at McLoone’s Pier House on Monday evening overlooking the beach. Members enjoyed a fine cocktail reception, entertainment by a reggae band along with savory entrees from the buffet table. Once again, a Tiki Bar event sponsored by P&G Associates provided a perfect nightcap.

Members got an early start on Tuesday morning at the buffet breakfast sponsored by Samuel Ramirez & Co followed by a pair of very informative asset/lability management sessions. Matt Thompson from SunTrust Robinson Humphrey provided the latest balance sheet trends followed by expert ALCO strategies for addressing the falling rate environment. Members then learned the implications of developing an effective ALM model from Salvatore Zerilli of Mercadien. Sal reviewed the importance of model risk, challenges to model validations and methods for ongoing performance monitoring.

Members returned for the final pair of sessions following a “networking” break sponsored by Atlantic Community Bankers Bank. Bridget Quinn of Mazars USA LLP presented The LIBOR Reform. Bridget explained how LIBOR rates are used to determine unsecured short-term funding costs and provided a fundamental review of the major benchmarks. The program concluded with an expert Economic Update provided by Brian Jones, noted economist from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.