2026 OBL/NCBA Annual Convention OBL

2026 OBL/NCBA Annual Convention

Registration & Room Block Now Open!

Online registration is currently closed due to a sold out room block. For registration and/or hotel reservation assistance, please contact Sarah Husk at shusk@ohiobankersleague.com.

The OBL & NCBA invite you to join us at The Cloister, Sea Island, GA for the 2026 OBL/NCBA Annual Convention.

We will kick off with a Golf Outing and Executives & Directors Workshop on Monday, June 29 and will conclude with a Closing Lunch & General Session on Wednesday, July 1. Please plan for Thursday, July 2 to be a travel day. More details coming soon!

Check out the NCBA/OBL WEBSITE for all the program details! Agenda coming soon!

Location The Cloister, Sea Island

Registration Fees

Price Description	Amount
OBL Bank Member	$995.00
OBL Bank Member Guest	$495.00
Nonmember (Bankers Only)	$1,990.00
Nonmember Guest	$990.00
Non-Sponsoring \| Exhibiting Affiliates and BusPart	$1,295.00
Children Ages 18 and Under	$195.00

Agenda

Sunday, June 28 - Sunday, June 28
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
	Welcome Reception Join those who have already arrived for a casual welcome reception before officially kicking off the program on Monday morning.
Monday, June 29 - Monday, June 29
8:30 am - 1:00 pm
	Convention Golf Outing The Golf Outing will be held at The Cascades Golf Course. Please indicate if you will golf when you register for Convention. Cost is $425 per person and includes a cart. Golf rental clubs are available and can be arranged directly with the resort.	$425.00
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
	Registration Opens Say hello and stop by to pick up your Annual Convention registration packet. Refreshments available.
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
	Executives & Directors Workshop Future Proofing Your Strategic Plan Brett Rawls, Head of Client Engagement, Profit Resources As the industry continues to shift, bankers need to take a fresh look at their internal structure and staffing, how they serve customers, and the services they offer — all grounded in a solid financial strategy. The foundation of that strategy lies in the strategic plan. Plans written even a year ago deserve re-evaluation to clarify both where the immediate focus should be and how to position the bank for the long term. In this session, we’ll offer a new perspective on strategic planning, helping bankers consider questions like: How can you best prepare for the strategic planning process? What roles should executives play vs. the roles of the Board? What do regulators want to see in a strategic plan? When and how do you know if initiatives must be reprioritized? Does the bank need to “catch up” with digital offerings? How does the bank adopt a long-term leadership strategy or succession plan? Attendees will leave with practical questions and advice they can take back to their organizations right away, making their strategic plans more focused, actionable, and resilient in a changing environment. Corporate Governance Best Practices and Current Trends in Regulatory Compliance Matt Walker, Counsel, & Kim Schaefer, Partner, Vorys Join us as we explore real-life scenarios where financial institutions faced significant challenges, highlighting the importance of strong corporate governance. These stories will emphasize the critical roles and responsibilities of bank boards and senior management, along with regulatory expectations. Additionally, we will provide an overview of recent developments in bank regulation, focusing on evolving compliance expectations, risk controls, and regulatory trends. Gain practical insights to enhance your institution's governance and compliance frameworks.
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
	Networking Reception & Grand Opening of Exhibit Hall
Tuesday, June 30 - Tuesday, June 30
7:00 am - 7:30 am
	OPTIONAL: Prayer Service
7:30 am - 8:30 am
	Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall
8:30 am - 9:00 am
	Rapid-Fire Presentations Hear demos from partners on the latest products and services for today's banker.
9:00 am - 10:15 am
	Welcome & Opening General Session Join Scott Anderson, Head of Investment Banking, KBW, for an insightful session on trends among community and regional banks.
10:00 am - 11:30 am
	Guest Activity: Oyster Shell Decoupage Join a local artist to tap into your create side with this hands-on coastal craft. Guests will decorate authentic oyster shells using beautiful patterns and designs, creating a one-of-a-kind keepsake inspired by the coast. This casual activity is the perfect way to unwind, get creative, and take home a unique souvenir from the NCBA/OBL Convention. There is no cost to participate in this Guest Activity, however registration is required.
10:15 am - 10:30 am
	Exhibit Hall & Break
10:30 am - 11:30 am
	Breakout Session - Round 1: ALCO Game Show! Bank Trivia Omar Hinojosa, Managing Partner, HUB Test your banking knowledge on balance sheet management and share valuable insights across state lines. This session is highly interactive, fun, and thought provoking. The winner will walk away with a take home prize and bragging rights!
	Breakout Session - Round 1: Beyond the Hype: The GENIUS Act and Digital Settlement Solutions for Community Banks Daniel Farra, CTO, & Kara Kennedy, President, ClearTrust The GENIUS Act has opened the door to something community banks have long needed: a faster, cheaper way to settle international transactions for their customers. By authorizing stablecoin settlement, the legislation creates opportunities to dramatically reduce settlement times and costs - particularly for cross-border payments where traditional correspondent banking is slow and expensive. But understanding cryptocurrency can be daunting. With so many voices in the digital asset space - many of them unreliable - how can community banks evaluate opportunities while managing risk appropriately? How do you know which solutions are legitimate and which partners can be trusted? This educational session cuts through the hype to provide community banks with a practical framework for understanding stablecoin settlement technology and its real-world applications. Rather than promoting specific solutions, we'll focus on the fundamentals: what stablecoins are, how settlement works, the regulatory landscape post-GENIUS Act, risk considerations, and the questions banks should ask when evaluating whether digital settlement tools make sense for their customer base. Attendees will leave with: Clear, jargon-free understanding of how stablecoin settlement actually works and why it's faster/cheaper than traditional methods Specific use cases where stablecoin settlement creates the most value (international transactions, high-frequency settlements, remittances) Overview of GENIUS Act provisions and the regulatory framework for compliant stablecoin use in banking Risk assessment methodology for evaluating stablecoin settlement systems (technology, counterparty, regulatory, operational risks) Due diligence framework: what questions to ask technology partners, what credentials matter, what red flags to watch for Real-world implementation examples from other jurisdictions and early adopter financial institutions Economics breakdown: cost savings potential, yield opportunities, and realistic implementation requirements
	Breakout Session - Round 1: Understanding the Limits of Your CECL Calculation Through Sensitivity Analysis Justin Crawley, Senior Consultant Advisory Services, Abrigo With the help of AI technologies, community banks have successfully been able to strengthen relationships, reduce churn, increase deposits, and improve ROI enterprise-wide by utilizing the data they already have at their fingertips. However, successful digital transformation can be a major challenge for midsized and community-based banks, as it is a major endeavor to adopt new technologies, shift operational mindsets, and hire the talent necessary to build and execute upon AI solutions. Attendees will learn how to prepare for AI-powered initiatives; and which use cases are the most impactful for banks; as well as review examples of actionable dashboards and how to use data and AI for decision-making.
	Breakout Session - Round 1: Key Bank Regulatory Developments in 2025-2026 Brendan Clegg, Partner, Luse Gorman, PC With changes in leadership and priorities under the new administration, this session will cover the most important developments in the bank enforcement, regulatory and compliance areas during 2025 and the first half of 2026 from the federal banking agencies. We will also include our insights from our interactions on various regulatory, enforcement, compliance and licensing issues with the agencies’ new personnel on behalf of banks across the country.
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
	Exhibit Hall & Break
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
	Breakout Session - Round 2: The Fraud Arms Race: Deepfakes, Mules, and the Strategic C-Suite Response Brandie Thacker, President & CEO, EPCOR As fraudsters weaponize new technology, the "standard" security playbook is no longer enough. Join an interactive "War Room" session that dissects a staggering deepfake heist to test whether your institution's defenses can withstand AI-driven social engineering. We will explore the sophisticated evolution of Business Email Compromise (BEC), account takeover, and the rising tide of "authorized" user fraud, putting you in the "hot seat" to navigate the same high-stakes wire decisions your teams face every week. You will leave with a strategic roadmap to align your fraud, compliance, and IT teams into a unified defense-in-depth strategy that mitigates loss, protects your reputation, and satisfies evolving regulatory scrutiny.
	Breakout Session Round 2: Connecting the Dots Fintech's Role in Seamless Financial Interactions Dave DeFazio, Chief Strategy Officer, StrategyCorps After attending this session, participants will understand the evolving landscape of fintech and its transformative impact on banking behavior, customer experience, and financial advice.
	Breakout Session - Round 2: Basis Points Up for Grabs: The 2026 Deposit Playbook Joe Kennerson, Managing Director, & Billy Guthrie, Managing Director, Darling Consulting Group As deposit competition intensifies and liquidity management grows more complex, financial institutions are rethinking their deposit strategies for 2026. Join DCG Managing Director Joe Kennerson for a data-driven session designed to help you unlock funding cost relief without compromising balance sheet stability. In this session, he’ll cover: Finding the Sweet Spot: Tactics to reduce funding costs while maintaining optimal liquidity levels. Understanding Price Elasticity: Learn how depositors respond to pricing shifts and how to price more effectively. Precision Pricing: Take a surgical approach to CD and MMDA pricing to protect margins and stay competitive. Deposits360°® Live Case Studies: Real-world data insights on what’s working, what’s not, and the cost of deposit cannibalization. Featuring actionable insights and proprietary analytics, this session is ideal for finance, treasury, and retail banking leaders seeking to fine-tune their 2026 deposit strategy.
	Breakout Session - Round 2: Making Agentic AI Usage Combined with AIGRCC Accessible & Easy Alec Crawford, Co-Founder & CEO. Verapath In this session, we're going to explore how the integration of Agentic AI with AIGRCC can be made more accessible and straightforward for your business needs. Imagine an AI system that not only performs tasks autonomously but also aligns perfectly with your organization's governance, risk, compliance, and control frameworks. This is where Agentic AI and AIGRCC come into play. We're going to demystify the process of implementing these technologies, breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand strategies. You'll learn how to leverage Agentic AI to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency while ensuring compliance with AIGRCC standards. We'll provide practical examples and tool demonstrations to show you how these technologies can be customized to fit seamlessly into your existing workflows. By the end of this session, you'll have a clear understanding of the steps needed to successfully integrate Agentic AI with AIGRCC, empowering your team to harness AI's potential responsibly and effectively. Join us to unlock the possibilities of AI in a way that's both accessible and compliant.
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
	Sponsored Pool Cabanas
6:00 pm
	Dinner on Own
Wednesday, July 01 - Wednesday, July 01
7:30 am - 8:30 am
	Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall
8:30 am - 9:00 am
	Rapid-Fire Presentations Hear demos from partners on the latest products and services for today's banker.
9:00 am - 10:00 am
	Reform, Risk and Reality: 2026 Federal Banking Update Washington has been under single-party control for the past year and a half. President Trump in his second term along with a Republican-led Senate and House have advanced an agenda focused on reducing bureaucracy and providing immediate regulatory relief. That effort has already produced meaningful, positive change for traditional banks of all sizes. But it has also introduced significant risks that could challenge the longstanding banking business model. Expanding access to the payment system and legitimizing the crypto industry could create competitive pressures if not existential threats to banking as we know it. Join NCBA and OBL Presidents Peter Gwaltney and Mike Adelman for a conversation breaking down what has happened in Washington, D.C. over the past 18 months and sharing insights on what these developments mean for our banks.
10:00 am - 10:45 am
	Exhibit Hall & Break Find business solutions, visit with our partners, participate in Exhibit Hall activities, and win prizes!
10:00 am - 11:30 am
	Guest Activity - Beach Ecology Walk Step outside and experience the natural beauty of the coast on a guided beach ecology walk. Led by a knowledgable guide, this leisurely stroll will explore local coastal ecosystems, wildlife, and conservation efforts, offering a deeper appreciation for the environment that makes Sea Island so special. There is no cost to participate in this Guest Activity however registration is required.
10:45 am - 11:45 am
	Executive Roundtables (Bankers Only) All NCBA and OBL bankers are invited to join peer conversations. The groups will be broken down by asset size and will feature discussions led by association management team members. Topics will be determined in advance of the sessions.
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
	Lunch & Closing Keynote: Crucible of Crisis: Resilience in the Face of Adversity with Kris "Tanto" Paronto Sharing lessons learned from the attacks in Benghazi and other deployments in some of the most hostile environments around the world, retired US Army Ranger Kris Paronto provides insight on how to persevere, lead, stay focused, and make strategic decisions in the midst of chaos and severe trials. From the combat field to business environment, Kris shares why effective collaboration, preparation, accountability and training of the mind and body puts us in a better position to turn adversity into opportunity and establish a “Never Quit!” mentality. Using examples from deployments in Benghazi, Iraq, Afghanistan and other hostile environments, US Army Ranger Kris Paronto provides insight on how values and faith can help refine our character while overcoming doubts and fears. Sharing from his own personal journey of faith, Kris equips people with tools to overcome adversity in their own battles and how God brought him through the toughest fight of his life.

Speakers

Name	Speaking At

Exhibitors

Location Information

The Cloister, Sea Island
100 Cloister Dr
Sea Island, GA 31561

Get directions

Hotel Information

An NCBA/OBL room block has been secured at a special group rate of $529 per night (Run of House guestroom), available Saturday, June 27 through Wednesday night, July 1, 2026 (departing Thursday, July 2), based on availability.

The NCBA/OBL has a dedicated reservation link as well as a dedicated phone number to call for reservations, 844.436.2365. While you are able to book online, for a more seamless process, and to request special room views/accommodations, booking your reservation over the phone is suggested. We also strongly encourage attendees to book early, as rooms at The Cloister are limited.

Based on availability, the group rate may be extended up to three (3) days prior to arrival for rooms requested on or before the reservation cutoff date.

Please note: Due to the following holiday (4th of July) room availability after the official room block ends on July 1 will be extremely limited. Should you wish to extend your stay, we highly recommend booking your room(s) as early as possible.

Resort Access

Sea Island is a private resort, accessible only to registered guests of The Cloister, The Lodge, The Cottages, and Sea Island Club Members.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to stay within the NCBA/OBL room block to ensure full access to resort amenities.

Reservation Details

Reservations must be made by Tuesday, May 28, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET, to receive the group rate.
A two-night room deposit is required at the time of booking.
The deposit is fully refundable if cancelled by Saturday, June 13, 2026.
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM; check-out is 12:00 PM.
Valet parking is available for $30 per night.

Additional suite options may be available at higher rates, based on availability.