Pub. 13 2016 Issue 3

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S Issue 3 • 2016 7 Business, Commercial, Finance and Real Estate Practice Montgomery & Andrews brings outstanding legal knowledge and experience to provide practical, value-driven assistance and solutions to financial institutions and to individuals and businesses engaged in commercial and consumer transactions. www.montand.com Jesse D. Hale Commercial Law & Litigation Nancy King Banking & Finance Seth McMillan Banking & Finance, Real Estate Suzanne Odom Banking & Finance, Real Estate, Commercial Law & Litigation Thomas Olson Banking & Finance, Real Estate Kari Olson Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate Sharon Shaheen Commercial Law & Litigation, Real Estate John (Jack) Campbell Taxation & Real Estate Planning 100 Sun Avenue NE, Suite 410 Albuquerque, NM 87109 505-884-4200 325 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-982-3873 Larry Wells Commercial Real Estate, Banking & Finance Andrea M. Antillon Real Estate,Tax, Business Planning & Estate Planning MontAndrews-BusCommercial-Sept2016.indd 1 9/22/16 4:06 PM On the national front, from the FDIC 2nd quarter 2016 report, it is encouraging that the banking industry as a whole continues to improve across the country. However, it is disappointing that the recovery has been slow and un- fortunately, I believe will continue to lag with the financial ndustry being forced to accept a “new normal” of low in- terest rates and increasing regulatory pressure. Directly re- lated, our country has also had a very slow recovery from the great recession — in fact, many feel we may never ful- ly recover. As a result, for several years, banks have been operating in an uncertain financial market burdened with confusing regulatory rules, many of which are yet to be im- plemented from the 24,000 pages of the Dodd Frank Act enacted over 6 years ago. Despite these obstacles, and the fact that over 1,700 banks have closed over the same time, both large and community banks remain huge economic drivers in the local communities and metropolitan markets they serve. We believe continued support from our lawmak- ers will improve economic conditions in our country. We continue to advocate that this should happen sooner than later. Sure, it is clearly positive to see improvements in the banking industry through the 2 nd quarter of this year, but we can do better. It takes all of us to make a difference and the NMBA PAC is an important tool for bankers to use to do just that. I ask and hope that you and your colleagues at your bank will contribute to the NMBA PAC. This is a great way to make your voice heard by those who control the political process. It is humbling to lead this organization, and I look forward to seeing and working with each one of you! n