Pub. 6 2015 Issue 4

www.wvbankers.org 6 West Virginia Banker A Message from the Executive Vice President By Sally Cline Looking Forward to Helping WVBA Move Forward S ince this is my first article for the West Virginia Banker magazine after leaving state government to join the private sector, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Association Board of Directors for selecting me to help lead the WVBA forward. I appreciate the vote of confidence and am hopeful I can meet their expectations. I am also thankful for the early expressions of encouragement I have received from so many of you, as well as for the warm welcome from the WVBA staff. I am personally inspired by their hard work and dedication in supporting our mission and our membership, and I am very optimistic about the opportunities ahead. WVBA’s greatest asset is its members. I look forward to work- ing with our Board and staff on membership development and engagement, which is critical in order to remain a strong organi- zation. Integral to our strength is ensuring a diverse, competitive and vibrant financial system that best serves our citizens and our economy. Our members play a key role in supporting small businesses and local communities all across West Virginia, but regulato- ry complexities continue to present clear challenges to banks. Burdensome federal regulation continues to sweep through the U.S. financial services industry, and banks are doing their best to comply with the massive amount of paperwork and costs to operations. The complex nature of compliance examinations has led many banks to hire additional compliance personnel and third-party auditors. These increased compliance costs have led some banks to abandon certain financial products such as mort- gage loans, forcing consumers to competing nonbank financial services providers that do not operate under the same rules and guidelines that govern the banking industry. To gain a better sense of the opportunities, challenges and per- spectives of our member banks, Joe and I are conducting banker outreach meetings across the state. We want to hear from our members about their concerns and discuss ways in which the WVBA can better meet their needs. I am very fortunate to be working for the WVBA, and I look forward to working with the Board, members and staff to build upon the successes of the past. With a strong membership, a uni- fied voice for regulatory reform, excellent educational programs, and a full-line of products and services to meet the needs of our membership, WVBA can make a difference in strengthening our banks and our communities. n