After an extended pandemic pause, it was an absolute pleasure to see so many bankers, vendors and friends at the 2022 NBA Annual Convention in early May at the Embassy Suites in La Vista. The Convention program included a number of excellent speakers, awards presentations in several bank and educational categories and a highly visible gubernatorial forum which included all the leading candidates for Nebraska’s governor.

Each year, the NBA conducts an Annual Membership Meeting as part of Convention. During the meeting, members receive an organization report and vote on incoming board and chair nominees. Congratulations to Stephen Stull, Nebraska Bank, Hickman, on his election as Chair of the NBA. Lydell “Woody” Woodbury, First Nebraska Bank, Valley, was approved as Chair-Elect. Special thanks to Kirk Riley, Waypoint Bank, Cozad, who completed his service as Chair of the NBA.

For those of you who were unable to attend Convention, I thought I might share a few highlights from the 2021-22 NBA Annual Report:

1. Membership remains strong, with 162 bank members, 87 associate members and 25 preferred vendors.
2. The NBA remains financially sound with $5.89 million in assets and $577,000 in liabilities. Total member equity is estimated at $5.3 million. Fiscal year-end estimates for April 30, 2022, indicate revenues in excess of expenses of approximately $320,000.
3. Your NBA education team hosted 28 virtual and in-person educational events which were attended by more than 2,200 Nebraska bankers. The NBA also graduated its 13th Leadership Class.
4. Through its philanthropic efforts, the NBA continued to invest heavily in support of education and workforce development. Scholarship and higher education investment totaled more than $182,000.
5. A new NBA job board was rolled out which promoted more than 400 job openings across our state.
6. Communications upgrades included an updated website with new navigation and search capabilities. Similar updates were completed for other NBA communications platforms, including the weekly Update newsletter and growing social media effort.
7. Advocacy at the state and federal level remained a strategic priority. In the Nebraska Legislature, your NBA team helped shepherd five legislative bills across the finish line. Federally, NBA members responded with more than 920 calls to members of Congress when they pushed plans to force banks to report all transactions in excess of $600 to the IRS. Finally, your NBA legal team aggressively led objections to the proposed purchase of Premier Bank in Omaha by Iowa-based GreenState Credit Union.
8. Total NBA Political Action Committee (NBA BankPAC) contributions exceeded $152,000, allowing the NBA to play a key statewide role in supporting candidates for elected office who are pro-banking and pro-business.
9. Approximately 85% of the banks in Nebraska are enrolled in one of the Voluntary Employee Benefits Association (VEBA) group insurance programs, representing more than 10,000 covered lives. Similarly, Agency Services worked cooperatively with 100 bank-owned insurance agencies across the state.
10. New initiatives like the Single Bank Pooled Collateral Program continue to excel with 20 banks participating, covering more than $1.9 billion in public deposits.

None of these organizational successes could be accomplished on behalf of you, our members, without an amazing team of highly dedicated and professional staff. I want to personally thank the dedicated NBA, NBISCO, Schools of Banking and VEBA staff members who work tirelessly every day to support the bank industry in Nebraska.

Lastly, thank you for your continued support and investment in the NBA. Together, we can collectively help the banking industry thrive and prosper in the Cornhusker State.