August 29, 2012
Announcement

How will your bank intelligently navigate the challenges
of the current payments environment?

Pragmatic solution

                With changes in the realm of electronic payments unfolding at a rapid pace, financial institutions are finding that the resultant improved efficiencies come hand-in-hand with the need to build expertise in the processes, issues, rules, and risks underlying the field of paperless payments. The pressure to fully understand the e-payments landscape can be especially acute in community banks, whose employees are usually called on to perform multiple duties rather than a single, narrowly specialized function.

Realizing the magnitude of this challenge for independent banks, Bankers’ Bank of the West and the Viewpointe® payments association, Viewpointe Clearing, Settlement & Association Services (Viewpointe) have launched an effort to encourage banks to take part in ongoing training, professional certification programs, and the benefits of payments association membership.

Educational outreach in a nutshell

The undertaking by Bankers’ Bank of the West and Viewpointe is designed to address three distinct needs common to many community banks in Bankers’ Bank of the West’s service area, as follows:

1. Targeted Training for Operations Staff.
Viewpointe will present select web-based training sessions designed to educate key operations employees on four critical topics: ACH Rules; Return codes and NOC codes; ACH origination risk; and check risk management. Registration for any or all of these four 2012 sessions will be offered exclusively to institutions with a Bankers’ Bank of the West DDA, at special pricing. The webinar format enables  your bank to maximize your training dollars by including as many employees as you wish under a single connection. What’s more, BBW customers may take any 2012 web-based courses listed on Viewpointe’s educational calendar at the same price offered to Viewpointe members.

2. Professional Certification Programs.
               For a variety of reasons, your bank may want a designated employee to become certified in check or ACH payments. Clearly, an internal expert in either check or ACH can be an asset to a bank of any size. Therefore, for the program series beginning in October 2012 only, Viewpointe is inviting BBW’s DDA-customer banks to enroll employees in either of two basic certification programs—Check Certification at Your Desk or ACH Certification at Your Desk—at special pricing. Both certification programs are made up of multiple webinar sessions (with each webinar session addressing a different subtopic) a review session, and the certification test. These webinar series have proven highly effective at preparing registrants for the subsequent certification test.

3. Benefits of Membership in Regional Payment Association.
Regardless of where your bank is based, Bankers’ Bank of the West and Viewpointe urge you to learn about the work your regional payments association does on behalf of member institutions. To encourage you to act now, Viewpointe is offering an incentive to BBW customer banks that apply in 2012 for membership running through 2013. (To receive information about the limited-time incentive, in addition to a membership packet, ask for the “membership packet” by calling BBW’s Operations specialists at 303-291-3700 or email bbwadjustments@bbwest.com.)

How Bankers’ Bank of the West customers can benefit

1. To make the most of the benefits available to your bank, act soon. Special pricing on many of the educational programs described above may be available only for a single 2012 session. As a BBW DDA customer, you’re free to register for as many webinar courses or certification programs as you like.
2. Look for additional background information in the mail the first week in September. Also, if your bank has access to BIDS, check the “community” section for periodic notices. If you haven’t received your postal mailing by Sept. 7, you may call 303-291-3700 to request the information by email.
3. To receive complete information (via email) on the targeted training for operations staff, as well as instructions on how to register for any web-based courses listed on Viewpointe’s website at the member discount, or to register for either of the certification programs, contact BBW’s Operations specialists at 303-291-3700 or email bbwadjustments@bbwest.com.
4. If you do not currently have a DDA with Bankers’ Bank of the West but want to participate in the program, you can become eligible by opening an account. Any of our operations staff (303-291-3700) can get you started.
5. As always, your operations officer (303-291-3700 or 800-873-4722) will be happy to respond to any questions you may have.

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