The Executive Committee of Friends of Traditional Banking, along with the Advisory Council (made up of state banking association execs) and the Nationwide Banker Board (made up of one banker per state) periodically have video chats with leading members of Congress. For their next visit in March, they have invited Rep. French Hill (R-AR), who currently serves as the vice-chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Rep. Hill, a banker and past CEO and chairman of Delta Trust & Banking Corporation, also serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion and sits on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets.

To see the current roster of FOTB's leadership committees see HERE.

If you are interested in filling your state's vacancy on the Banker Board and participating in calls like this and helping us select our key endorsements each cycle, please email mike@friendsoftraditionalbanking.com

Friends of Traditional Banking Executive Committee Member Virginia Varela, President and CEO of Golden Pacific Bank, has been named an "Executive Woman Award" finalist by the National Association of Women Business Owners. Honored by the Sacramento Valley chapter, Varela is a past vice chair of FOTB and has held senior supervisory positions with theTreasury/OTS, the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Congrats, Virginia! Learn more about our award-winning friend HERE.

Frustrated with continued opposition to his so-called Credit Card Competition Act, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is summoning resistant airline and credit card CEOs to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he chairs for questioning. The hearing, just announced this month, will be held April 9, and is spurring banking associations to continue their vocal opposition.

"The so-called Credit Card Competition Act would force card-issuing financial institutions to choose among routing networks set by the Federal Reserve, rather than choose networks that may offer the best customer experience and security," notes the American Banker Association's call-to-action. "The result if this were to be implemented? Consumers and smaller financial institutions would lose out."

The Independent Community Bankers of America in their call-to-action also warn of the results of this terrible legislation. "This latest iteration would only compound the prior harm, by imposing significant costs on community banks, reducing access to credit, putting data security at risk, and jeopardizing valued credit card rewards programs," they state, noting that the legislation would only increase "the profits of big box retailers at the expense of community banks and the consumers they serve."

Friends of Traditional Banking applauds our allies at ICBA and ABA in this fight, encourages our members to share their voices with their respective Members of Congress, and serves notice to Congress that we will be watching closely who supports H.R. 3881/S. 1838 and holding them accountable accordingly.