Delegates were treated to an exquisite cocktail reception in the hotel ballroom on Sunday evening sponsored by Atlantic Community Bankers Bank. The reception featured chefs serving gourmet meats, fine fish and an array of carving stations with delectable treats to satisfy any appetite. Following the reception, attendees were able to enjoy dinner at local restaurants or explore the boardwalk.

The formal program began with two sessions on Sunday afternoon. A very contemporary session on cybersecurity was presented by Bob Mullan from Connecticut On-line Computer Center, Inc. Bob discussed the impact that the latest cybersecurity requirements have on bank vendor and management programs.  Vendor Management Best Practices was then presented by Raji Sathappan from the Mercadien Group. The session presented regulatory guidance and risk assessment in the vendor management life cycle as well as tips and tricks that bankers can utilize to improve a bank’s vendor management program.

He presented methods for restructuring a bank’s core IT contracted services to meet the demand for mobile technology, security and compliance as well as customer engagement.John Milne, from MMB Milne Leone LLC presented the ABC’s of accounting for BOLI or bank owned life insurance. He outlined why financial institutions should consider purchasing BOLI, the current regulatory accounting considerations and the types of benefit plans that banks should consider.

The morning program continued with an investment risk session presented by Umrai Gill, Managing Director from Performance Trust. Will Nowik from Wolf & Company followed with a timely cybersecurity session. He provided effective methods for measuring an institution’s readiness and the impact of cybersecurity on a bank’s other risk management programs.

Two investment presentations were presented following lunch. The first featured effective methods for developing a successful ALCO strategy presented by Mark Haberland from Darling Consulting. The second featured Scott Hildenbrand, Chief Balance Sheet Strategist from Sandler O’Neill + Partners who discussed current market trends and provided investment strategies that banks should consider. The final afternoon session featured a regulatory theme presented by Glenn Moyer of The Kafafian Group.

The Tuesday program concluded with four informative sessions presented in a half-day format. An Accounting and Regulatory Update was presented by Sidney Garmong from the accounting firm of Crowe Horwath LLP. Sidney discussed the accounting and financial reporting issues for financial institutions and developments regarding federal banking agencies. Jeff Mazur from PNC Capital Markets discussed Interest Rate Hedging Opportunities for Today’s Banking Environment. P& G Associates presented an overview of ALM risk assessment and ALM model validation concepts and procedures.

The conference concluded with a timely and very informative cybersecurity session presented by Gideon Lenkey from Ra Security Systems while delegates enjoyed a relaxing luncheon.

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