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February 12, 2021
First Women Connect Speaker Series Session - This Thursday, February 18th, 12 Noon:
"Building Your Personal Brand" with Laura Meyer!
Don't miss the first session of the Women Connect Speaker 2021 Series, this Thursday, February 18th at noon with "Building your Personal Brand" with Laura Meyer, CEO & Founder of Joy Brand Creative. It is important to know exactly what you want to be known for in order to grow your personal and professional brand reputation with clients and colleagues. Using examples from real-life personal brands of national influencers that Laura has helped develop, you will leave this interactive session with clarity on how to take your personal brand from generic or non-existent to exceptional, elevated, and extraordinary.
The 2021 Women Connect Speaker Series features six sessions, with six dynamic speakers to engage and empower. Each session will be available both live on the day of the event, and on-demand for your convenience. One price gives you full access to all six sessions: $199 for DBA Members ($249 for non-members). Or attend sessions individually for $39 per session ($49 for non-members).
Sign up today! Sponsorships are available!
Join Gold Sponsor - Delaware Community Foundation,
and Bronze Sponsor - Santora CPA Group!
More than 50 bankers and Delaware legislators met for a Virtual Legislative Meet & Greet, Wednesday morning, February 10th. The event afforded member banks the opportunity to discuss items of interest to Delaware's financial services industry with State Senators and Representatives. Thank you to all who participated, and special thanks to the event sponsors: Bank of America, Capital One, Commonwealth Trust Company, Discover Bank, Glenmede, and WSFS Bank.
Business Writing Workshop
March 24th - 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Time equals money in the work world, so creating clear documents quickly that can be understood easily is crucial. Corporate as well as government communicators value this highly interactive workshop designed to help participants resolve two of their biggest written communication challenges: writing more effective documents while following a more efficient process. Practical, lively exercises help them increase their skills in Paragraph Performance from introductions to conclusions, Sentence Sense, Word Wisdom, and Format Force. Participants report that the quality of their work increases while the amount of time needed to produce it decreases, often by 1/3. A review of practical grammar and punctuation rules is included. Their documents and messages will look, sound, and feel more professional as they convey their image with style!
Workshop Objectives: After attending this course, participants will benefit from increased ability to:
• Identify varied audiences and purposes for writing;
• Polish rough edges of their writing style in paragraphs, sentences, words, and format;
• Write more effective documents while following a more efficient writing process; and,
• Apply course concepts to their actual writing samples.
Join Linda Comerford, Comerford Consulting for this rewarding on-line course via Zoom, March 24th: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Just $199 per person for DBA members! ($249 for non-members)
Click on the link below to register.
2021 Teach Children to Save Day! Sponsorships Available!
This April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 Teach Children to Save Day will be conducted on-line via Zoom and other virtual platforms. Banker volunteers will still be able to teach and interact with the students.
2021 marks the 23rd Annual Teach Children to Save Day in Delaware. Over the past 22 years Delaware’s bankers have taught an important lesson on saving to over 220,000 kids. We thank all our member banks and volunteer bankers who have supported this effort.
Sponsorships are available for member banks to help defray the cost of the event. Virtual session will begin with a short introductory video including the names of sponsors. Based on previous years, we anticipate between 8,000 and 10,000 students in 200 to 300 classrooms will receive the lesson and the introductory video. We hope you will join us again in teaching children throughout Delaware the importance of personal saving for future financial independence. Join the growing list of sponsors: Barclays, Capital One, Wells Fargo, County Bank, Fulton Bank, Shore United, WSFS, Bank of America, Discover, and First Citizens Community Bank! Banks interested in sponsoring may contact Sarah Long or Greg Koseluk for more information.
Fulton Financial Corporation Approves $75 Million Stock Repurchase Program
Fulton Financial Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of up to $75 million of shares of Fulton’s common stock, or approximately 3.2 percent of Fulton’s outstanding shares, based on the closing price of Fulton’s common stock and the number of shares outstanding on February 5, 2021. This approval expires on December 31, 2021. As permitted by securities laws and other legal requirements and subject to market conditions and other factors, purchases may be made from time to time in open market or privately negotiated transactions, including without limitation, through accelerated share repurchase transactions. The repurchase program may be discontinued at any time.
The Rx For Renewed Growth - The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for the U.S. economy.
Hopes for a quiet start to 2021 were quickly dashed amid unrest in the nation’s capital, progress toward substantial stimulus, a surprising 50-50 Senate outcome, and a mix of excitement and frustration over COVID-19 vaccine availability. While we hope this year will be less volatile than 2020 was, January was anything but relaxing. We start the year without much economic momentum. Indicators on hiring and retail sales show a slowdown. But real growth is likely to accelerate as the year progresses. Additional stimulus will help to move consumers and businesses past this difficult interval, and additional inoculations will help consumers return to their old spending habits. A robust recovery in demand across all sectors will support ongoing employment gains during the balance of 2021.
Now Available: New Online Courses!
Fundamentals of Commercial Banking; and, Analyzing Repayment Sources!
Andy Keusal, Founder and President, Keusal Learning
We’ve all had to adapt this past year in so many areas of our business, training being one of them. If you will be hiring new credit analysts, lenders, portfolio managers, and others who need skills in financial statement analysis and writing credit documents, and are looking for affordable, effective training for your new hires or current staff, look no further. The Delaware Bankers Association & Delaware Financial Education Alliance has partnered with Andy Keusal with Keusal Learning LLC to offer two new online Breaking into Banking videos:
• Breaking into Banking 101: Fundamentals of Commercial Banking - ten learning modules, over 5 hours in total content
• Breaking into Banking 201: Analyzing Repayment Sources - nine modules covers topics including how to analyze income statements, balance sheets, collateral, and risk rating.
Each module includes a video lesson and a multiple-choice self-check. Many of the lessons include exercises/case studies for learners to work through that are related to a sample company outlined in the course’s Reference Guide.
Jenifer Jurden is a Cartoonist from Wilmington who has graciously provided her Planet Jurdy cartoons for the DBA Digest. Jurdy® is her other-worldly "Hero of Happyness" whose cartoons bring levity to humans worldwide.
Use the Delaware Bankers Association Member Portal for
Online Registrations and More!
Have you checked out the Delaware Bankers Association's online members portal? The portal will provide members easy access to update their personal information and to register and pay online for upcoming DBA events! Log into the portal via the link below, and use the Personal Profile link (on the left hand sidebar) to create your log in.
Richards, Layton & Finger Is Top Delaware Law Firm
for M&A Deals in 2020
Richards, Layton & Finger keeps its spot at the top of The Deal’s Delaware rankings of M&A transactions valued at $100 million or more. Serving as counsel on significantly more of these high-value deals in 2020 than any other Delaware firm, Richards Layton has held this top ranking for nearly 30 years. “We’re proud that our firm consistently sets the standard as Delaware deal counsel,” said Doneene Damon, president of Richards Layton. “Our talented lawyers routinely handle challenging, high-stakes matters, and we’re honored that our clients continue to rely on our outstanding service and excellent results.”
New Morris Nichols Brand Conveys Continued Focus on Complex Delaware Business Law, Innovation on Ground-Breaking Legal Issues PDF
Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP is proud to reveal our new visual identity. The rebrand reinforces what sets the firm apart − a 90-year legacy of shaping Delaware law by partnering on landmark cases of national significance, a deliberate focus on business law, and a culture grounded in collegiality and respect. “Delaware law and courts are the nexus of high-profile matters,” said Bill Lafferty, chair of Morris Nichols’ executive committee. “Whether bankruptcy proceedings, transactions and financial structuring, or corporate and patent litigation, major US companies are drawn here. Reflecting on our 90 years, we wanted our brand identity to reinforce how we are uniquely positioned to handle these complex, high stakes matters.” The updated visual identity, which is the culmination of a 15-month project that started with an extensive brand analysis in 2019, presents a modern aesthetic that pays respect to the firm’s Delaware roots while also recognizing the firm’s position at the forefront of Delaware business law. The new logo places emphasis on Morris Nichols, which is also the domain where the firm’s new digital home resides. The morrisnichols.com website features crisp imagery, distinctive colors, and an updated layout and architecture. The logo itself is commanding, with a timeless, bold font.
BLS Starts 2021 with Promotion, Certification,
and New Hire Announcements
Belfint, Lyons & Shuman, P.A. (BLS), a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Delaware and Pennsylvania, started 2021 with the following well-earned promotions, certification achievement, and new hire announcement. Saaib T. Uppal, CPA, QKA has been promoted to Manager in the firm’s Accounting & Auditing Department. Emily V. Schmidt, CPA, CFE has been promoted to Supervisor in the firm’s Accounting & Auditing Department. Amy L. Gordon, CPA rejoined the firm as a Supervisor in the firm’s Tax & Small Business Department. Tyler J. Starr, CPA, QKA earned his QKA (Qualified 401(k) Administrator) credential, which is given by the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA).
Troutman Pepper Advisory: OCC Proposes Updated Real Estate Standards for Bank Premises
On January 4, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a proposed rule (Proposal) that would amend the requirements applicable to ownership of real property by national banks and federal savings associations (together, "banks"). The Proposal would modify and clarify the current requirements for bank premises. The Proposal was published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2021, and the deadline for comments is March 20, 2021.