DBA Digest for July 4, 2025

Yes, of course there’s our nation’s birthday tomorrow – hope you have lots of fireworks, friends and family, and festive food in your sights as we celebrate the 4^th of July.

Earlier this week I had the good fortune to celebrate my own birthday with our whole DBA team as we gathered at the Appoquinimink Community Library in Middletown to discuss our written and website materials. I’m grateful for how warm and welcoming the team has been in my transition into this role.

Did you know that we also have the New Castle County State of the County event coming up on July 15^th? See below for details and member discounts, and I’ll see you there if you join us. I’ll also see you (virtually) at the ABA/DBA/Alliance Women Lead Symposium on July 17^th if you join – and you’ll get to hear from our own DBA Board Chair, Caroline Horty Dickerson (CEO and Treasurer, Commonwealth Trust Company), on a panel entitled, “Real Talk with Bank CEOs on Advancement, Leadership and Life,” which you won’t want to miss. And if we’re lucky, we’ll see you and your kids at our annual Kids Day at the Fair on July 22^nd at the Delaware State Fair. Details are below on each of these events.

I’m pleased to share that we will be holding our first open forum members’ event in Rehoboth on Monday morning, July 28th, giving us an opportunity to reconnect with peers and meet new ones as well as to share what’s top of mind for you and what you most value and need from the DBA. Keep an eye out for a formal invite right after the holiday weekend. Meanwhile stay safe and stay cool!

Delaware Trust Conference

Discounted Early-Bird Registration Now Open! Members Save $400 Through August 1st!

Discounted Early-Bird Registration is now open for the 2025 Delaware Trust Conference. Members can save $400 when registering by August 1st. The 2025 Delaware Trust Conference will be live at The Chase Center on the Riverfront, AND live-streaming, on October 28 & 29, AND on-demand through November for credit! Earn up to 17.0 CLE, including 2.0 Ethics Credits! 

Sponsorships and Exhibitor Space Available!

Join these prestigious sponsors and exhibitors:

Platinum Sponsor

The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware (a WSFS Company)

Diamond Sponsors

Gordon, Fournaris & Mammarella, P.A.

McCollom D'Emilio Smith Uebler LLC

Richards Layton & Finger, P.A.

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP

Gold Sponsor

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnel LLP

Silver Sponsors

Greenleaf Trust Delaware

Morris James LLP

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Santora CPA Group

Bronze Sponsor

Duane Morris LLP

Exhibitors

Campbell University Trust and Wealth Management Program

Delaware Community Foundation

Fiduciary Education Foundation

JTC Trust Company (Delaware) Limited

Koplin Consulting

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Virtual Event! ABA Women Lead Symposium - July 17th!

Don't miss the Women Lead Symposium, July 17, a convenient virtual program

designed to help emerging leaders and seasoned professionals become successful leaders.

This joint effort between the American Bankers Association, the Delaware Bankers Association, and other state bankers associations will help you gain critical leadership skills that will support your bank’s growth goals and advance your career. You’ll learn leading practices and actionable insights to navigate key positions at your bank and foster workforce excellence. You’ll walk away with leadership resources and a strong professional network!

See the full agenda and registration information via the link below!

Another Important Step in the Fight Against Fraud

As ABA continues its work to support banks in the fight against fraud, I am pleased to announce a new exclusive member resource: member access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Treasury Check Verification System, or TCVS. ABA members can now access TCVS directly through their aba.com login. This centralized access point will save our members the trouble of having to integrate the TCVS API with their own systems, a lengthy and time-consuming process. More importantly, banks will be able to verify government checks in real–time, including verifying the payee for the first time. ABA’s Paul Benda and Hannah Ibberson give the lowdown on the new platform on a new episode of the ABA Banking Journal podcast. 

Don't Miss These Upcoming OnCourse Learning Webinars!

Loan Structuring Basics - July 9th

As commercial and middle market lenders know, loan structure has an important influence on the repayment of loans. In this webinar, we’ll discuss the different types of loans: seasonal, term, bridge, and permanent capital, and how to properly structure a loan. We’ll also provide strategies for explaining loan structuring decisions to your customers.

Audience: This session is ideal for anyone who works in commercial or middle market lending, including senior lenders, commercial lending officers, relationship managers, portfolio managers, financial analysts, underwriters and loan review personnel.

Red Flags for Money Laundering - July 10th

The criminal enterprise is using financial institutions to move money that is disguised through our institutions. Don’t let the criminals use yours. Train your staff with this important BSA training tool and use it as part of your annual training program.

Audience: This session is ideal for BSA officers, BSA investigators, SAR reporting staff, compliance, security and training.



Learn more and browse all the webinars via the link below.

New Castle Co. Chamber of Commerce: State of the County - July 15

Register for the 3rd Annual State of the County on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Clayton Hall Conference Center to hear from business leaders investing in, and reimagining, the future of our growing county.

This event will bring together community leaders and residents, from diverse backgrounds, to celebrate and build awareness about the remarkable growth of our county. From the latest developments in infrastructure and transportation to groundbreaking innovation projects, you'll have the opportunity to gain firsthand insights into the exciting initiatives and projects shaping our county's future. 

DBA Members receive 20% off registration using the special PARTNER promo code!

Richards, Layton & Finger Elects New Directors and Counsel

Richards, Layton & Finger is pleased to announce that it has elected attorneys Matthew Ady, Jonathan Kaplowitz, Zach Kmetz, Ed Little, and Don Zeman as directors of the firm, and Ashley Kidd, Sara Metzler, and John O’Toole as counsel of the firm, effective July 1.



“I’m proud to congratulate these fine lawyers on their well-deserved promotions,” said Paul Heath, president of Richards Layton. “They have the skill, the experience, and the commitment to excellence our clients depend on. I know these talented attorneys will uphold our tradition of delivering the innovative counsel, practical solutions, and exceptional client service that are the hallmarks of our firm.”

S&P Q3 Global Webinar: Outlook for U.S. Commercial Bank Performance and Fintech: Finding Optimism Through The Volatility

July 22nd - 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

US banks’ net interest margins are poised to expand as funding costs move lower, while earning assets mature and are replaced with higher-yielding loans and securities. Heightened tariff-related anxiety will weigh on loan growth and credit quality and could threaten earnings growth in 2025, but the worst case fears in the investment community appear to have subsided and banks still expect to benefit from deregulation.

During this webinar, the S&P Global Market Intelligence Research team will present their proprietary projections for commercial bank performance and lead us in a discussion about how banks can capitalize on the current opportunities to accelerate their technology adoption.