SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 11, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The John M. Floyd & Associates (JMFA) 2006 Leadership Conference for bank executives kicked off Monday in San Antonio, Texas and ran through October 10th. The conference has gained a reputation among past attendees as providing cutting-edge industry information. Executives hail the conference as one of the best in the industry for providing relevant solutions to key financial industry challenges.
The conference was an opportunity for executives to come together to hear industry experts speak on key issues and concerns as well as to offer solutions for many of the challenges impacting the financial industry. Areas of focus for the presentations included regulations and compliance, competitive situations, growth strategies, customer satisfaction and loyalty, employee retention and technology.
John M. Floyd, JMFA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, addressed the everyday banking executive's challenge to increase income. The margins and spreads of the past are gone -- effectiveness depends more heavily on efficiency. John, along with Richard Miller, JMFA Executive Sales Director, and Jared Cahill, JMFA National Director of Alliances, provided valuable insight and solutions to one of the key challenges facing the industry: how to improve net operating results in a time of compressing margins.
Floyd stated, "By bringing together key experts and leading bank executives, we are able to offer insightful presentations and facilitate valuable networking and discussion groups. The result is the sharing of significant financial insights that executives can use to grow their banks profitability and shape the banking industry despite a low margin environment."
Other key speakers and presentations addressing the challenges of the financial industry included:
Mary Beth Guard -- CEO of Glia Group, Inc. and Executive Editor of BankersOnline.com, Guard kicked off the morning with a lively interactive session on compliance that involves a routine day at the fictional "Bank of Blunders." In a career spanning more than two decades, she has gained a national reputation as a banking attorney, speaker, writer and Internet expert.
Roger Rassman -- An industry leader in developing brand management and loyalty programs, Rassman addressed how to develop a solid brand in today's marketplace where customers are inundated with financial products and services from all angles.
Doug Ingram -- Managing Director of Market Strategies for SAMCO Capital Markets, Ingram's luncheon program focused on interest rates, the bond market and where it is all going. With over 24 years of experience implementing strategies for fixed income portfolios, his presentation was highly informative. Ingram is in demand as a speaker on topics such as asset allocation, portfolio optimization and regulatory compliance for portfolio management.
Russell Capps -- President and General Manager of TranSend, Capps explained how banks can now serve the underbanked and unbanked marketplace. His industry intelligence resonates from a multi-decade career where he led revenue-driving programs within BankOne and GE Consumer Finance. Capps' depth of category experience includes cross-functional knowledge in several card industries including Bankcard, Travel and Entertainment, Purchasing, Affinity Card Programs and Prepaid Debit.
Oliver Ireland -- A Partner in the Financial Services Practice Group of Morrison & Foerster, LLP in Washington D.C., Ireland shared his insight on how to be prepared for compliance and operational challenges that face the audience on the road ahead. In addition to his practice, which focuses primarily on retail services including electronic commerce, and compliance with Federal Reserve regulations, he also chairs the American Bar Association Deposit Accounts Subcommittee.
Jeff Rendel -- As President of Rising Above Enterprises, Rendel's presentation recommended various strategies to consider for focusing or re-focusing an organization around its customers' ever-changing needs and how it translates to long-term profitability. A former regulator with the United States Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, he has worked with all levels of senior bank management in development and performance.
In addition to this talented line-up of presenters, a number of highly regarded JMFA executives spoke at the conference including:
Ron Jennings, JMFA Executive Sales Director who, along with Jan Southern, JMFA Engagement Manager, introduced the audience to additional tools and processes banks can implement to enhance organizational efficiencies.
Garry Modrell, a leader in JMFA's Executive Search Group, who gave a presentation that was very timely as the competition for top-banking talent is fierce. Garry covered strategies that organizations can implement immediately to recruit and retain prized employees.
"We arranged an exceptional line-up of industry experts to share their knowledge and experience with attendees in a variety of forums," said John Floyd. He concluded, "It was my goal that -- at the end of the conference -- attendees would head home with new insights and solutions for many of their biggest banking challenges."
About John M. Floyd & Associates (JMFA)
John M. Floyd & Associates (JMFA) is a profitability and performance improvement consulting firm and a leading provider of overdraft privilege programs serving more than 2,000 financial institutions in 49 states and Central America. JMFA is also recognized for training, account acquisition, executive placement and earnings enhancement programs, as well as product, service, pricing and technology improvement consulting. As a direct result of our programs JMFA has helped thousands of clients dramatically improve their performance and bottom line. To learn more about JMFA, visit www.JMFA.com