Pub. 4 2013 Issue 1

www.wvbankers.org 4 23 8 7 Too Important to Fail Community banks play a critical role in making local economies vibrant, not just in West Virginia but all across the country. By Senator Joe Manchin 8 Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: Provisions Affecting Banking Institutions By understanding these five provisions of the Act, your business will be better prepared to take the necessary, proactive measures when servicing the obligations owed by servicemembers. By Angela L. Beblo and Brienne T. Marco, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC 10 Bond Portfolio Strategies for 2013: Looking Back and Thinking Ahead Because many employers obtain information about criminal records as part their background checks, changes to their policies and practices may be warranted as a result of this development. By Jeffrey F. Caughron, Associate Partner, The Baker Group LP 12 Debt Collection Calls in West Virginia Both the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act (“WVCCPA”) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) permit banks to contact a borrower as long as the banks comply with the limitations of these Acts. By J. Mark Adkins and Julia A. Chincheck, Bowles Rice LLP 19 Post Derecho and Superstorm Sandy: What Did You learn? While the events were costly and inconvenient, it is critical that we take advantage of what we learned from these events and assess our plans from the lessons learned during these interruptions. By Chris Joseph, CPA, CISA, CRISC, CITP 23 Beyond the Sticker Price: Helping More First-Time Homebuyers Afford the American Dream Even though record-low interest rates have made mortgage payments more affordable than ever, a major challenge to any potential homeowner is accumulating enough savings for the down payment and closing costs. To a low-income family, this task can seem insurmountable. By John Bendel, Director of Community Investment, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh 24 Member Notes 24 Welcome New Associate Members! 25 How Do You Get Everyone on the Same Page About Your Brand? As a financial institution you have lots of target audiences – and lots of brand ambassadors. How can you make sure they’re all singing from the same song sheet? By Linda Arnold, M.A., M.B.A., Chairman & CEO , The Arnold Agency 26 Calendar of Events