Carver State Bank Hosts National Bankers


The current and former NBA Chairmen at Conference in Savannah included (L to R): Jesse Turner, Jr. President of Tri-State Bank of Memphis, TN; Alden McDonald, President of Liberty National Bank of New Orleans, LA; Robert E. James, President of Carver State Bank of Savannah, GA; Deborah A. Cole, President of Citizens Savings Bank of Nashville, TN; Preston Pinkett, III, President of City National Bank of Newark, NJ (current NBA Chairman); and B. Doyle Mitchell, Jr., President of Industrial Bank of Washington, DC.
The current and former NBA Chairmen at Conference in Savannah included (L to R): Jesse Turner, Jr. President of Tri-State Bank of Memphis, TN; Alden McDonald, President of Liberty National Bank of New Orleans, LA; Robert E. James, President of Carver State Bank of Savannah, GA; Deborah A. Cole, President of Citizens Savings Bank of Nashville, TN; Preston Pinkett, III, President of City National Bank of Newark, NJ (current NBA Chairman); and B. Doyle Mitchell, Jr., President of Industrial Bank of Washington, DC.

Carver State Bank was host for the 88th Annual Convention of the National Bankers Association (NBA) on October 5 through 7, 2015. The event marked the first time that the National Bankers Association, the trade association representing our nation’s minority-owned banks, visited Savannah, Georgia.

The convention’s signature event was the gala opening reception at the Chatham Club, a scenic location atop the Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel, which served as convention headquarters. Conferees were welcomed to Savannah by Mayor Edna Branch Jackson, the first African American woman to hold that office. Mayor Jackson presented NBA Chairman Preston Pinkett with the key to the City. Other local dignitaries in attendance included Chatham County Commission Chairman Al Scott, State Senator Lester Jackson, State Representative Bob Bryant, Savannah City Manager Stephanie Cutter and former Savannah

Mayor Otis Johnson. The local community was also well-represented by Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) President Trip Tollison, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce President Bill Hubbard and numerous other community leaders.

All of the attendees marveled at the beautiful views of the City, enjoyed sumptuous refreshments and music by local artist Spencer E. White, III.

The convention’s theme, “Promoting Sustainable Home Ownership in Communities of Color,” was addressed by a number of well-qualified experts in the financial, regulatory and advocacy spheres, including: U.S. Comptroller of the Currency Thomas J. Curry; Sandra Thompson, Deputy Director, Federal Housing Finance Agency; Tujuanna Williams, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Fannie Mae; Barrett Burns, President of Vantage Score Solutions; Ronald Cooper, President of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers; Teresa Bryce-Bazemore, President, Radian Guaranty; Lois Johnson, CEO of United Security Financial Network, the nation’s only African American owned Ginnie Mae issuer; and Phil Bracken, President and Founder of America’s Homeowner Alliance.

In addition to the robust discussion regarding strategies to promote more homeownership in minority communities, the conventioneers also tackled important issues regarding preserving and strengthening America’s minority banks. Carver State Bank Director Robert James II moderated informative presentations by Robert Mooney, the FDIC’s National Director for Minority Depository Institutions and Community Development Banking, and Arthur Lindo, Senior Associate Director of Policy for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. He also hosted a spirited panel discussion with the current and former Directors of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Annie Donovan and Donna Gambrell. Other presenters included former Comptroller of the Currency and current Chairman of Promontory Interfinancial Network, Eugene Ludwig and Eugene Cornelius, Jr., Associate Deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration.

During the Convention,

Carver State Bank President Robert E. James, Sr. was honored with the James Young Trailblazer Award, named for James Young, former President of Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta. Young (now deceased) and James. Sr., are the only two individuals to have served two terms as Chairman of the NBA. James, Sr., has the distinction of being the African American with the longest tenure of service as president of a bank in American. The award was presented by Rebecca Young, Jim Young’s widow, and Cynthia Day, the current President of Citizens Trust Bank.

Among the special guests of Carver State Bank at the closing Gala banquet on October 7 were the Alpha Lambda Boule’ Scholars chaperoned by Dr. Zeke Zimmerman, President of the 100 Black Men of Savannah, and several Savannah State University College of Business Administration students.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.