SDBA eNews

March 9, 2023

SDBA Op-Ed: ‘Bank on’ the facts: HB 1193

 As the 98th session of the South Dakota Legislature winds down, the team at the South Dakota Bankers Association (SDBA) is busy preparing for our final week of work with our state legislators. It is also during this time that we reflect on the significant role SDBA member banks and the broader business community play in helping us navigate the legislative process. We are grateful for our motivated, engaged and informed banking and business community. Before we wrap up this session, I find it imperative to set the record straight and correct the false claims being made regarding HB 1193, “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).”

To understand what the bill aims to do, it is important to understand the UCC and its purpose. The UCC is the product of law commissioners from each state who serve together on the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) to develop uniform, model acts, or state laws, for adoption by state legislatures. It is not federal law, nor is it developed by the federal government. Let me be clear, these 2022 amendments to the UCC are drafted by the ULC for adoption in states across the nation, and by doing so, it keeps Congress from imposing federal laws into areas where states should be sovereign.

The UCC serves as the backbone of United States’ commerce, giving all Americans the legal infrastructure necessary to have confidence when conducting business in South Dakota and across state lines. The UCC provides commercial law for broad categories of transactions: the sale or lease of goods, negotiable instruments, bank deposits and collections, funds transfers, letters of credit, documents of title, investment property, and secured transactions in personal property. The UCC has been in place in South Dakota (SD) since the 1960s, and adoption of the UCC by every state has allowed the development of strong interstate markets.

The UCC has been revised in SD and by other state legislatures over the years at the recommendation of the Uniform Law Commission and American Law Institute to reflect the economy’s shift from a largely goods-based economy toward an economy that includes services, software, and information-based transactions. The latest updates, the 2022 amendments, will accommodate and “identify” emerged and emerging technologies such as distributed ledger technology (known as “blockchain”), and artificial intelligence. The amendments were drafted over a multi-year process with many open sessions. These amendments bring the UCC into the digital age by adding a new Article addressing digital assets and providing commercial law rules for the transfer and leveraging of virtual currencies and certain other digital assets. Adoption of the 2022 UCC amendments by all states will bring uniformity and clarity to the current law and allow certainty when transacting business with digital assets across state lines. Nothing in the UCC 2022 amendments prevents anyone from deciding what means of exchange to use or what transactions to enter.

Before joining the SDBA in October 2020, I spent more than two decades as a community banker in South Dakota. I took pride in serving customers and our communities—and still do today in my role as president of the South Dakota Bankers Association. My SDBA customer base and community focus now includes all South Dakota banks and communities. Serving the banking industry and advocating for common sense probusiness measures to enhance commerce in South Dakota is very rewarding and necessary. HB 1193: “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC),” has been supported on record by many pro-business organizations in South Dakota, including the South Dakota Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota, South Dakota Retailers, South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and the South Dakota Trust Association, just to name a few.

For decades, South Dakota has long been touted as one of the nation’s friendliest states to conduct business. South Dakotans have proudly been open for business and we’ve humbly boasted economic freedom—freedom to grow, build and live in a state that doesn’t support government overreach. In South Dakota, we’re leading the nation in job growth, inbound relocation, tax revenue, GDP and more. We have cut red tape and removed and redacted outdated and unnecessary language from our laws and constitution. We respect businesses’ rights and adhere to an “open, fair market” philosophy. Yes, in South Dakota: We Mean Business.

Here are the facts: The opposition to HB 1193 is claiming that the updated UCC is, “…the greatest threat to our personal liberty and privacy we’ve faced in a generation.” This belief is simply untrue and misguided. The UCC establishes interstate commerce, allowing the playing field of the market to remain fair, level, and as South Dakotans can attest, open. Failure to adopt the 2022 amendments jeopardizes South Dakota’s ability to remain competitive in commerce and fair market trade, negating everything we’ve stood for in South Dakota for decades. You can “bank on” the facts, not the political theatre.

—Respectfully submitted by Karl Adam, president, South Dakota Bankers Association

Contact: South Dakota Bankers Association
Address: 109 W Missouri Ave | Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: 605.224.1653
Email: [email protected]

Tri-State Trust Conference Set for April 25-27

NDBA is pleased to announce the 2023 Tri-State Trust Conference, which will be held April 25-27 in Fargo ND and online.

Highlights

  • Economist Fritz Meyer: “The Economy, Markets and Investment Strategy”
  • Sharon Carson, J.P. Morgan: “Retirement Planning Timely Topics”
  • Charles “Clary” Redd, Stinson: “Recent Developments in Estate Planning”
  • Plus meet with over 30 companies in the exhibit hall!

For more information and to Register:
Visit www.ndba.com.
 
Hotel reservations
Delta by Marriott, Fargo ND
Room block deadline: March 24
Conference rate: $123
Book online: Trust Conference Rate or call 701.277.9000.
 
Continuing education credit
Conference content has been submitted for continuing education credits. More info available soon.


SD Bankers Foundation Named Scholarships Application Deadline March 31

The South Dakota Bankers Foundation annually offers five named scholarships awarded directly to students attending a South Dakota college who are pursuing a career in banking or finance. Applicants must be in their junior year, entering their senior year of college during the 2023-2024 school year. Please refer to your academic handbook if you need clarification for junior/senior credit qualifications. 

  • $4,000 Alan M. Graff Scholarship
  • $3,000 David S. Birkeland Scholarship
  • 3,000 Herman Lerdal Scholarship
  • $3,000 Joyce Hazeltine Scholarship
  • $1,500 Deb Gates Scholarship

The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023. The SDBA also provides a poster if banks would like to help promote the scholarships. 

For more information on South Dakota Bankers Foundation scholarships, contact Foundation Executive Director Halley Lee.


Submissions Open for ABA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards

The inaugural ABA DEI Awards honor and recognize ABA member banks for their internal-facing programs, initiatives and activities focused on improving diversity, equity and inclusion for their workforces. Integrating DEI initiatives promotes awareness and mitigation of bias, helps employees feel safe, creates diverse teams, and helps the organization gain competitive advantages.

Award Categories

Outstanding DEI Overall Program Award — Recognizes the most outstanding DEI program

Outstanding DEI Leader Award — Recognizes a DEI specialist or other leader who has served as an agent of change within the organization

Outstanding DEI Innovation Incentive Award — Recognizes the ABA member bank with the most creative and innovative internal DEI initiative that enables a transformation within the organization

Dates to Know

  • March 1, 2023: Submissions Open
  • April 30, 2023: Submissions Close
  • June 1-30, 2023: Judging Period
  • Sept. 14, 2023: Announcement of Award Winners during the ABA/VBA/MBA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit
Nominate your bank today!


Sponsorships Available for FBLA State Leadership Conference

The South Dakota Future Business Leaders of America is hosting their State Leadership Conference on April 3-4, 2023. The organization is seeking sponsorships for their event. Partnership and exhibitor opportunities include the following: 

  • Contest and Scholarship Sponsors
  • Meal Sponsors
  • Opening and Awards Ceremony Sponsors
  • Shirt Sponsors 
  • Exhibitors

The deadline to sponsor is March 15, 2023Click here to learn more


Free Webinar: Protecting Bank Customers Against Check Fraud

ABA will hold a free webinar on March 15 at 12:00 p.m. CST on how banks can protect customers from check fraud. ABA’s Paul Benda will moderate a discussion in which bankers from Fulton Bank, Camden National Bank and Associated Bank will talk about the tools they use, their banks’ internal controls and how they work with core providers to access the data they need in tackling check fraud in their communities. Learn more and register here.


CISA News: Digital Spring Cleaning

We often hear of the term “spring cleaning,” the time of year when we go through our belongings and organize our house and lives in preparation for the upcoming summer. This is also the perfect time to take an annual review of your digital life. The following seven simple steps, taken once a year, will go a long way toward ensuring you can make the most of technology, safely and securely. Review the 7 simple steps here. 


  Compliance Alliance logo

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: If we cancel a customer's debit card do we have to notify them? 

A: Per Reg E commentary the cancellation of an access device is a change that does not require disclosure. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1005/interp-8/#8-a-Interp-2
The only prohibition/requirement would come from the account agreement so you'll have to confirm with the agreement before proceeding.

Compliance Alliance offers a comprehensive suite of compliance management solutions. To learn how to put them to work for your bank, call (888) 353-3933 or email [email protected] and ask for our Membership Team.

For timely compliance updates, subscribe to Bankers Alliance’s email newsletters.


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Questions/Comments
Contact the SDBA at 605.224.1653 or via email.