Pub. 11 2016-2017 Issue 2

July/August 2016 9 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. Regulatory Representation Mergers and Acquisitions Business Succession Planning Litigation eptlawfirm.com toll free 844-704-5296 Omaha Lincoln Newman Grove Providing Nebraska Businesses with Fiber Optic Speed • Dedicated Internet Access • Ethernet COMPETING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL STARTS WITH NEBRASKALINK 888-893-2185 8-893-218 nebraskalink.com ages the entire industry’s image and feeds those who would prefer that banks be managed by Washington. That is why ABA is pushing back— hard—in defense of banks. Among other things, we launched a targeted pro-bank image campaign aimed at Washington opinion elites. We are advertising on the radio and at Washington Nationals baseball games—which a disproportion- ate number of members of Congress, Hill staff, regulators, agency staff, and reporters attend—as well as on social media, pushing positivemessages about the important role banks play in their communities. You can see some of that messaging at aba.com/AmericasBanks. We also are going all-in on our Power Up initiative, which is aimed at getting more bankers engaged in politics—from building lawmaker relationships to donating funds for races—in order to increase our success in Washington. I am grateful for the state associations’ leadership in promoting this cause. More bankers are telling us they either know their member of Congress or are willing to get to know them. They are contributing more to BankPac and their state PACs. And they are giving to the Fund for Economic Growth. (Inci- dentally, if you are one who has done all three, please know that staff at ABA affectionately refer to you as a “power player.” If you haven’t but want to learn more, visit aba.com/PowerUp.) In addition, we are aggressively chal- lenging cases of regulatory overreach, such as the National Credit Union Ad- ministration’s egregious member busi- ness lending rule approved earlier this year, which we believe contradicts the law, and the CFPB’s proposed rule on arbitration, which would dramatically limit the use of arbitration agreements even though data show they serve con- sumers better than class action lawsuits. The feedback I’ve received in my first six months on the job also makes clear that we must be proactive in ad- dressing broad trends that are reshap- ing banking. That is why two staff task forces at ABA have been studying the challenges and opportunities posed by the fintech revolution and massive demographic shifts. The groups will be recommending newways ABA can serve the industry, with a sharp focus on how we can help community banks. More on that to come, but in the meantime rest assured that contrary tomany headlines, millennials are not disenchanted with banks, and that opportunities for part- nering with nonbank fintech companies abound. These are just a few ways ABA, working closely with state bankers as- sociations, is striving to build a more secure and competitive future for your bank. These efforts are built on banker feedback, and I hope you’ll keep that coming.  Email Rob Nichols at nichols@aba.com . © 2016 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.