Oregon Bankers Association - Independent Community Banks of Oregon

Government Relations

The mission of our extensive government relations program is to ensure that all of our members regardless of size are able to do business in a fair, competitive business environment. This includes parity in the laws and regulations that govern various types of financial service providers, as well as the opportunity to provide a broad range of financial products and services to Oregonians. Our goal is to present an informed and unified voice on matters of critical importance to Oregon and the Oregon banking industry.

The Oregon Bankers Association and Independent Community Banks of Oregon Boards of Directors use four criteria when determining the Association's position on all policy issues. These criteria essentially ask the following questions:

How do bank customers benefit from the proposal?
Will the proposal enhance the broad competitive environment? If the proposal is not pro-competitive, is it otherwise demonstrably necessary to achieve the objective of maintaining the safety and solvency of financial institutions?
Does the proposal provide the opportunity for competitive financial viability and profitability regardless of size?
Does the proposal achieve or maintain equal, competitive ground rules among the various types of competing financial institutions?

In addition to the hundreds of Oregon bankers that are involved in the legislative and regulatory process through committee and board participation, the Oregon Bankers Association has a highly qualified team of professional lobbyists, attorneys and staff members.

Grassroots Involvement

All Oregon bankers are encouraged to participate in the Association's successful grassroots program. There are opportunities to get involved at the local, state and federal levels. Contact Jennifer Schubert, member relations associate, at (503) 581-3522 or jschubert@oregonbankers.com to learn more about how you can get involved.

Oregon BankPAC

Oregon BankPAC is the Oregon banking industry's political action committee. It allows members of the banking profession to take a more active and organized role in government affairs. Essentially, participation in BankPAC represents professional interest in maintaining a fair, competitive atmosphere within the financial services industry; commitment to a high standard of banking in Oregon and interest in fostering an ongoing dialogue between banking and public policy makers.

OBA's Bill Tracking System (members only)

The Oregon Bankers Association is pleased to offer our members access to bills we are tracking as they are moved through the State House and Senate. Members of the OBA may access the bill tracking system by clicking here. For questions about this service, please contact Jennifer Schubert, member relations associate at (503) 576-4126 or jschubert@oregonbankers.com.

Legislative Action Center (members only)

The OBA has partnered with Capwiz to bring our advocacy efforts into the 21st century. The award-winning online advocacy solution will empower our grassroots efforts by providing the tools bankers need to identify and communicate with legislators on important issues. Members of the OBA may access the Legislative Action Center by clicking here. For questions about this service, please contact Ken Yates, vice president of government relations at (503) 576-4123 or kyates@oregonbankers.com.

The Issues (members only)