Office of Thrift Supervision

OTS Director Seidman Announces 2001 All-Industry Leadership Conference

SEATTLE, Wash., Oct. 31, 2000 – Director Ellen Seidman of the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) announced today that her agency will host its first ever All-Industry Leadership Conference for savings association chief executive officers and directors next April 23 and 24 in Atlanta. She made the announcement in a speech at the annual convention of America’s Community Bankers in Seattle.

The OTS conference will cover national financial and demographic trends; potential opportunities for thrift institutions in their communities; directors’ responsibility for ensuring a sound operational structure; and the importance of effective strategic development and how to develop and evaluate strategic planning choices.

Opportunities for growth afforded by a maturing baby boomer population and by customers of modest means will be among specific discussion subjects, as will responsible lending in the subprime market. Other topics will include innovations in technology, product delivery and marketing and responsible compliance programs. Outside speakers who are considered to be experts in certain fields of interest the conference will cover, will join OTS staff and thrift executives in leading the discussions. The thrift executives will talk about successful programs they have undertaken at their respective institutions.

The Atlanta conference follows a series of OTS-sponsored regional meetings for directors of OTS-regulated institutions at which one of the central topics was strategic planning. The directors’ conferences began a year ago and ended last June and attracted a total of about 1.200 directors.

“The competitive and technological changes swirling around us make this a good time to emphasize for the entire industry the importance of strategic planning,” Ms. Seidman said. Appealing to directors who attended the earlier conferences and to all thrift industry leaders to participate in the Atlanta conference, she said, “It is imperative that you, and we as your regulator, bring our best to the task of thriving in the new world of retail financial services. I ask you to bring your best ideas, your best efforts and your best vision to Atlanta and join your fellow leaders in charting a new course for competitive community banking.”

In a wide-ranging ACB speech, she touched on some of potential business segments that may offer thrift institutions opportunities for growth; the risks associated with various activities, including the use of various financial instruments; and steps OTS itself is taking to improve the examination process at the holding company level and in certain lending areas, such as commercial and consumer loans.

Ms. Seidman announced two new proposals from the agency, one on changes to applications processing designed to streamline and reduce the cost of the process and the other on optional model bylaws for thrifts that would be pre-approved. Both are scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Thursday, and their comment periods will continue through Jan. 2, 2001.

OTS has created an e-mail address for those seeking additional information on the Atlanta conference. The site is chartthecourse@ots.treas.gov.

Bylaws Federal Savings Association Bylaws; Integrity of Directors

Proposed Rulemaking Application Processing <

The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), a bureau of the U.S. Treasury, regulates and supervises the nation's thrift industry. OTS's mission is to ensure the safety and soundness of thrift institutions and to support their role as home mortgage lenders and providers of other community credit and financial services. For copies of news releases or other documents visit the OTS web page at www.ots.treas.gov.

Created: Tuesday, 10/31/2000