Pub. 13 2018-2019 Issue 5

WWW.NEBANKERS.ORG 24 outstanding) varied from 1.29 percent for the associations funded by AgriBank to 1.82 percent for the associations funded by AgFirst. Size does not appear to be the main driver of the difference in this ratio as the associations funded by the Farm Credit Bank of Texas had an expense ratio of 1.42 percent even though the total assets of the Texas associations ($19.3 billion) are less than the total assets of the AgFirst associations ($22.5 billion). High expense ratios may be a factor driving the ongoing consolidation of FCS associations. Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year FCW wishes its readers as well as their families, friends, as- sociates, and customers the very best for theNewYear. I joinwith America’s taxpaying bankers in urging the FCA to become more aggressive in 2019 in cracking down on FCS lending violations as well as other FCS violations of the FarmCredit Act. Hopefully, too, the FCAwill revise its YBS lending regulations tomore accu- rately reflect the extent of FCS lending to genuine YBS farmers.  Bert Ely — continued from page 23 To contact Bert Ely, email bert@ely-co.com , phone (703) 836-4101, or send mail to P.O. Box 320700, Alexandria, Va. 22320. If your bank belongs to the American Bankers Association (ABA), you can enjoy a free email subscription to Farm Credit Watch or you can read it monthly online at www.aba.com . To receive Farm Credit Watch by email or to manage your subscription, visit ABA Member Email Bulletins at www.aba.com/Tools/Ebulletins/Pages/ default.aspx. For other inquiries, please contact Barbara McCoy at the ABA at (800) BANKERS or bmccoy@aba.com. The second table provides annual data for last five years for the FCS and for the same groupings of FCS banks and associations while the third table shows a comparison of FCS bank and association data summarized by the four FCS districts. Proudly offering group insurance to NBA members for more than 30 years. To learn about our plans, visit nbaveba.com An Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association