Pub. 8 2013-2014 Issue 1

May | June 2013 13 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. Warren Buffet has said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation.” We know from our industry’s long history that many banks have been carefully shepherding and enhancing their reputations for decades longer. A S WE POINTED OUT IN “THE Business of Banking,” the publication that we distribut- ed to policymakers on Capitol Hill earlier this year, a large number of banks have proven to be in business for the long haul. In fact, two out of every three banks in the United States have been in business 50 years or more. And one in three has been in business for more than a century. That’s a lot of years of service in support of your communities and our national economy. We think you deserve some credit for what you’ve done and what you will do. That’s why ABA is launching a new and innovative public affairs and advocacy program to help everyone enhance our industry’s reputation. The program is called Amplify. We are beginning this effort in eight states: Virginia, Oregon, Missouri, Pennsyl- vania, Colorado, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Over time it will be in Nebraska, and nationwide in all 50 states. What is Amplify? It is a newresource to help bankers, state associations, and ABA enhance the overall reputation of the industry. The focus is on the im- portant role bankers and banks play as they invest in the customers, neighbor- hoods, and businesses they serve. This is an effort tomake sure that what your bank does—supporting the community and the economy, as well as your cre- ativity and innovation—becomes both better known and appreciated. Amplify is the next step in our work to improve the perception of banking in the eyes of policymakers and the public. It will take time to build out, but it is designed to provide a lasting infrastructure that can be used going forward to ensure that bankers’ con- tributions at every level are effectively communicated. This is a grassroots effort, because that is where you make a difference—at home, in your com- munities, and in your state. Together, we will leverage what banks like yours mean to our commu- nities, cities, counties, states, and the nation. Our goal is for policymakers to understand your role as the corner- stone of our nation’s economic vitality, and promote a regulatory environment that helps all banks thrive. We think that’s amessage that must be amplified. Z Washington Update Amplifying What You Do Frank Keating , President & CEO, American Bankers Association Reach Frank Keating by email at fkeating@aba.com .