It’s hard to believe that by the time you read my next letter, we’ll hopefully know who the next president of the United States will be. We’ll definitely also know the results of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis’ board elections. Ballots are scheduled to be distributed to member banks on Tuesday, Sept. 24, with a deadline to return your completed ballots by Friday, Oct. 25. Results will be calculated and announced in late October or early November.

In the past, we have not weighed in on who you should vote for, merely encouraging FHLBI-member institutions to be sure to vote. We changed that this year, though, conducting our own internal primary process so our members could vote on who they wanted to see on the Board, with the understanding that the Association would then endorse whoever our members chose in that process. By the end of our primary, we only had two nominees, so Jamie R. Shinabarger, CEO and director of Springs Valley Bank & Trust Company, Jasper, and Dan L. Moore, executive chairman at Home Bank SB, Martinsville, automatically received the IBA endorsement.

When two Michigan seats were open on the Board last year, credit unions won both because they rallied behind their only two nominees while the bank vote was split among five candidates. We encourage all FHLBI-member institutions within the IBA membership to cast your votes for Jamie and Dan to give the industry the best chance possible to secure bankers in both seats.

It is also hard to believe that my time as your chair is already coming to an end. By the time you read this, the Annual Convention will be in the books, and we may very well be in D.C. together for the IBA’s Annual Washington Trip, which will be one of my final acts as your chair. It has been one of the great honors of my career to get to lead this incredible association.

I plan to finish strong and ask you to join me as we enter the fourth quarter of 2024. It’s crucial that your bank hits its fair share donation goal to BANKPAC. This isn’t just any election year, but one in which we have an open governor’s seat, an open U.S. Senate seat and multiple open congressional seats, on top of all the shifts in the Statehouse. Our government relations team is working tirelessly to stay in touch with our allies at the Statehouse and offering support with donations from BANKPAC – which we can only do with your dedicated help. Make your donation today if you haven’t already, and ensure the banking community’s voice is heard by our elected officials.

We need to make sure our political leaders are those who understand what it takes to maintain a healthy banking environment so we can stay focused on what really matters – serving our customers and communities.