Top Ten Things to bring with you to the IBANYS 38th Annual Convention, August 28-30, 2011, Saratoga Springs

Comfortable shoes - For the fun run/walk Monday morning, the walking tour of Saratoga Springs Monday afternoon, or a leisurely stroll through the grounds of Spa State park, where the hotel is located!

Your Thinking Cap - With so many great programs like, Is Your Bank's Mojo Rising, and Money, Money, Money, Don't Give it Away...you'll want to be on top of your game for the whole convention.

Golf Clubs - Saratoga National Golf Course is world-class, and you won't want to miss our outing on Sunday!

A few dollars for the races - If you get a chance to head to the legendary Saratoga Race Course, get into the action and place a bet on the ponies! It is a guaranteed good time.

Your appetite - Saratoga Springs offers some of the best food and greatest chefs in New York State. At the convention, expect to be delighted with our casual outdoor dinner and reception on Sunday, and formal dinner and awards on Monday.

A sense of excitement - This year's dinner will have you 'seeing stars'! Sit back and enjoy the show...we guarantee you'll be getting the 'presidential treatment.'

Your stress - This might sound strange, but hear us out. The legendary Roosevelt Baths will melt all your troubles away with the power of minerals! A full service spa and salon is definitely the best way to relax during a trip to Saratoga.

An empty bag or suitcase - During the convention, we'll be giving out door prizes and women's gifts. There are tons of great silent auction items to win. And that doesn't even include the world-class shopping downtown Saratoga has to offer! So expect to leave with a lot more stuff than you brought, which is never a bad thing!

Confidence - The annual convention is the only time this year where you'll get to network with this many of your New York colleagues. Take advantage of the receptions in the evening, vendor time, and even breaks in between sessions! Those conversations could mean more business for your bank.

Awe - This year is going to be unlike any convention IBANYS has put on before! More booths, more surprises, amazing speakers...it is going to be the event you do not want to miss!

No Time for Silent Auction??

  Wish you could donate to the convention's silent auction but don't have the time? Let us help! You fill out the form, and we'll do the rest! Let us take the time to shop for you this year. E-mail today to get started! 

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The Governor has signed S.4530-B (Saland)/A.6875-B (Lentol) as Chapter 342 of the Laws of 2011. This bill is intended to help limit the unrestricted flow of information subpoenas to community banks and credit unions. It was supported by IBANYS.

The bill amends General Business Law section 601 to require that where a principal creditor to whom a consumer claim is owed or their agent sends more than fifty information subpoenas per month, the principal creditor or their agent must maintain complete records concerning all information subpoenas sent by the principal creditor or their agent. The records shall include the grounds for such principal creditor or agent's reasonable belief. A failure to maintain the records is subject to a penalty of not more than fifty dollars per subpoena up to a maximum of five thousand dollars per violation. It provides for enforcement by the Attorney General. An aggrieved person served with more than fifty information subpoenas per month by a principal creditor or their agent is also provided a cause of action to enforce compliance with recordkeeping or compliance with the certification requirements for the information subpoena. A ten dollar fee is awarded for each information subpoena served without certification or where records were not maintained. Court costs and attorney fees are also available to a successful plaintiff.

The following bills were delivered to the Governor for action on Friday.

•    Wild Card (A.8156 (Lancman)/S.4612-A (Griffo)
•    Home Office Protection for One Bank Holding Companies (A.8157 (Abbate)/S.5004 (Griffo)
•     Banking Development District extender for thrifts (S.5478 (Griffo)/A.8103-A (Meng)

  Did you know that IBANYS has a Facebook page? We do! We also noticed that a lot of our member banks don't have one. Creating a Facebook page for your bank is free and easy. Best of all, it allows fans of your bank to become your official "fans" on Facebook! We noticed a lot of member banks without pages already had people "liking" them.

  Don't get left in the dust by social media, embrace it! Create a page for your bank today.  

  If this message left you confused, be sure to attend Joe Russo's session at this year's annual convention in Saratoga Springs: Don't Get Caught Without Your Media Hat On!/Social Media: The Dark Side. It all happens on Monday, August 29th, at 3:30pm. See you there!