DBA Digest for October 11, 2024

It's Trustober!

Delaware Trust Conference Month!

"Trustober" Rolls on! It's less than three weeks to go until the 19th annual Delaware Trust Conference, the premiere event for Trust Professionals! The 2024 Delaware Trust Conference features the top experts in the field with the latest information on how you can maximize the Delaware Trust advantage for your clients!

The Delaware Trust Conference is an ideal opportunity to network while obtaining up to 18 continuing education credit for: Trust Professionals, Portfolio Managers, Financial Advisors, Attorneys, CPAs, CTFAs, Wealth & Asset Management Services Executives, Executive Trust Officers, Investment Officers, Investment Managers, and Trust Department Managers.  

The 2024 Delaware Trust Conference will be live at The Chase Center on the Riverfront, AND live-streamed, October 28 and 29. The sessions will also be available on-demand through November! So register today and make your Trustober the best ever!

Delaware Trust Conference:

Sunday Night Kickoff Reception!

The 2024 Delaware Trust Conference will kick off with a reception Sunday, October 27, 5 to 7 p.m. at the DuPont Environmental Education Center, 1400 Delmarva Lane, Wilmington. Experience the best of Delaware’s wildlife. DEEC features panoramic river and marsh views, and a 10-acre ornamental garden. Tickets to this exclusive reception event are just $150. Platinum and Diamond Sponsors receive two free registrations to the reception with their sponsorships. Space is limited! Register via the link below!

Women Connect! Rehoboth Beach!

Registration Now Open!

Join us for a Women Connect Networking Event on Thursday, November 7 at Agave Rehoboth and Friday, November 8 at the Cambria Hotel Rehoboth. Topics include: A panel discussion on 'Women as Allies,' featuring James Ambagis, President & COO, BNY Mellon Trust of Delaware, Isabel Araujo, Senior Manager, Charles Schwab Trust Company of Delaware and Jennifer Fisher, Managing Director, Brown Brothers Harriman Trust Company of Delaware, a fireside chat with Nancy Dibert, CEO, Epic Marketing, and a keynote by Delia Sullivan, author of “The Story I Told Myself”, featured in Deserts to Mountaintops: Choosing our healing through radical self-acceptance by Jessica Buchanan. The program will include ample networking opportunities, a vendor showcase of local women owned businesses and non-profits, and headshots offered by a professional photographer! Register today for this exciting day of Engagement, Empowerment, and Networking!

New Video!

More Money Than Cents: Making a Budget!

Wonder where your money goes? The newest video in our More Money Than Cents series outlines how to create a budget and get a handle on your personal finances!

Upcoming OnCourse Learning Webinars!

The Top 6 Controls to Reduce Your Risk of a Cyber Incident - October 15th

A huge gap exists between most organizations’ cybersecurity capabilities and the fear of a data breach or ransomware. So, what should your organization do to close the gap and reduce your cyber risk? This session will discuss the top 6 controls your organization should be implementing to significantly reduce your risk of a cyber-attack. We’ll walk through some of the most probable cyber-attack scenarios and demonstrate how these top controls can mitigate your cyber risk, as well as discuss some additional risk-mitigating options every organization should consider.

Audience: Anyone responsible for risk management should attend this session.

ACH for Lenders and Cash Managers - October 18th

More financial institutions than ever are offering ACH Origination products to their corporate customers. Who at your FI is responsible for that? What does that person know about the ACH rules?

Audience: This course is designed for lenders, senior staff, cash managers, operations staff with limited knowledge of ACH, and those that are interested in gaining knowledge on ACH Origination and risk.

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

Mid-Atlantic Bank Executives Conference –

November 3 & 4

The Mid-Atlantic Bank Executives Conference brings together bankers and industry partners for sessions with nationally recognized speakers providing relevant and timely content geared specifically to bank c-suite and other senior leaders. Sessions include: Economic Update; Keeping Pace with Rapidly Emerging Technologies; Credit Risk; and, More! Follow the link below for the full agenda and registration information.

Bank of America Private Bank Market Minute

Major U.S. Equity indexes managed to finish in the green last week thanks to a stronger-than-expected jobs report, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average each up less than a quarter of a percent over last week. The Russell 2000 Small-cap benchmark fell 0.5% over the week and remains 2% below its July high. The yield on the 2-year U.S. Treasury gained 22 basis points (bps) last Friday alone, finishing at 3.92% for the week and just under the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury at 3.97%. Brent oil prices climbed 8% last week and closed on Friday at $78/barrel amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. In U.S. economic news, 254,000 jobs were added in September, well above consensus expectations at 150,000. July and August’s readings were also revised upward, contributing to a two-month positive net revision of 72,000 jobs. On the household side, the unemployment rate ticked down from 4.2% to 4.1% while the labor force participation rate remained at 62.7%.

Richards, Layton & Finger Honored

in Benchmark Litigation

Seventeen Richards, Layton & Finger attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 edition of Benchmark Litigation, more lawyers than from any other Delaware firm. A definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers, Benchmark has also ranked Richards Layton in its top “Highly Recommended” firm category. Richards Layton’s outstanding litigation team has been involved in many of the landmark cases defining Delaware law and has successfully handled some of the most complex disputes to arise in our state. Our attorneys are not only authorities on Delaware law; we have deep, practical insight into the procedures of the state and federal courts, and have earned the respect of Delaware’s judges, chancellors, and justices. See the full list of honorees via the link below.

Morris Nichols Welcomes Three Judicial Law Clerks

Morris Nichols is pleased to announce the addition of three new attorneys to the firm. Reece Barker, Sean Meyer, and Jake Rauchberg join the firm following recent judicial clerkships.

“We are thrilled to welcome Reece, Sean, and Jake to our team,” said IP litigation partner and recruiting committee chair Michael Flynn. “These former clerks bring with them valuable court experience which will contribute significantly to the firm’s clients and co-counsel.”

Potter Anderson Recognized by Leadership Council for Legal Diversity as a 2024 Top Performer and Compass Award Winner

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP has been named a 2024 Top Performer and Compass Award winner by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, which recognizes law firms and corporations that demonstrate a strong commitment to building a more inclusive legal profession.



“It is an honor for our firm to be recognized by the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and a privilege to continue our firm’s steadfast pledge to maintaining inclusivity at our firm while working toward that same goal for the legal profession as a whole,” said Potter Anderson Chairman Peter J. Walsh, Jr.

CFPB’s Chopra: Government Must Tackle Spiraling Refinance, Homeowners’ Insurance Costs

As interest rates drop, the CFPB is exploring ways to streamline mortgage rules to make the refinancing process easier and closing costs less expensive, Director Rohit Chopra said at a housing conference sponsored by the Center for American Progress.

“When an existing or competing lender is seeking to refinance a loan with a much lower rate for a substantially similar mortgage, it may not be worthwhile for the lender to repeat many of the steps that were taken during the purchase process,” Chopra said. “We are especially interested in the costs and time taken to refinance a mortgage that are exclusively related to complying with federal mortgage law, rather than steps that are demanded by investors.”

Delaware Paid Leave Officially Opens the Delaware LaborFirst Portal

 As Delaware Paid Leave moves closer to implementation, there are important steps employers can take now to be fully compliant and ready to provide this valuable benefit to their employees on Jan. 1, 2026.

From now through Dec. 1, 2024, employers are required to either voluntarily enroll in Delaware Paid Leave or apply for private-plan approval. Through Delaware LaborFirst, the state’s new online administrative system for the Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) insurance program, employers can notify the Division of Paid Leave that they have purchased a Delaware Department of Insurance-approved Group PFML insurance policy or apply to self-insure their own compliant PFML plan.