OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – With a month to go, the turnout for thatwell-hyped Washington trip by the Oklahoma Bankers Association toattack credit unions is a bit slow coming together with only 14bankers signed up though the trade group said it still hopes “for abetter showing.” On its Web pages, OBA Chairman Douglas Tippens ofEl Reno lamented that “if we're going to be effective” on thelobbying front, more bank voices would be needed in the nation'scapital during the trade group's annual Washington visit Sept.19-21. Tippens wrote that 14 bankers “is not enough” and the lackof registrations signals a message that “is not a positive one” tolawmakers. The trade group has 270 member banks. The El Reno bankeralso questions whether the OBA's focus “is off target or is itcomplacency because of income bankers are experiencing.” Ine-mails, letters and media articles, the OBA leadership for weekshas been pressing its members to become active in the nationalanti-CU campaign spearheaded by the American Bankers Associationand early this month began mailing ABA-packaged “Credit UnionToolkits” aimed at keeping the anti-CU momentum going “The toolkitincludes letters to Senators Inhofe and Nickles and to yourCongressman,” noted the OBA Web site, referring to OklahomaRepublican Congressmen James Inhofe and Don Nickles. “Just copy theletter onto your letterhead and send.” The toolkit also includesletters to the editor, ads and “other materials to help your bank'semployees understand the importance of this issue to theirpocketbooks.” The OBA Web site also implores member banks to takepart in the organization's “Rock the Vote” campaign designed tobring out “all your colleagues, friends, family members and anyoneelse you can think of” on election day to support the anti-CU causeon the tax exemption. In explaining the low turnout so far for theWashington trip, Roger Beverage, OBA's president and chief staffofficer, said the registration rate is about as expected andbesides, “it's quality that counts,” an apparent reference to OBAleaders planning to make the trek to Washington. “We'll have notrouble presenting our message.” In a comeback, Beverage'scounterpart, Bob Bianchini, president/CEO of the Oklahoma CreditUnion League, quipped, “they might get better attendance if theyhad more interesting items on their agenda – like how best to servetheir customers.” Many within CUNA and state credit union leaguesmaintain there is a genuine lack of enthusiasm among rank and filebankers in keeping up the attack on CU's with only a handful of topnational leaders, like Utah's Harris Simmons, of Zions Bancorp.,pushing the cause aggressively. However, the top brass in CUNAcontend they have no plans to let their guard down for the longbitter battle with bankers on tax exemption and they are preparingfor continuing skirmishes in all the states and in Congress. TheOBA's Beverage said the registration trip could be adding severalmore to the list, but the annual Washington trip has never reached“the 20-40 level before 9/11″ referring to travel cutbacks afterSept. 2001. Tippens in this week's “OBA Update” again emphasizedthat the trade group's “No. 1 priority” is CUs and yet there is alack of motivation to join the Washington trip. “Whatever thereason, our fight won't last long if only a handful of bankers careto show interest,” wrote Tippens. The Oklahoma League said it willbe conducting its annual trip to D.C. as part of CUNA's “NationalHike the Hill” starting Sept. 21-23. A spokesman said it wasuncertain how many members would be taking part in that trip “sincewe have a scheduling problem – our annual meeting is Sept. 22-24.”The League holds its annual conference at the Southern HillsMarriott in Tulsa on those dates. In another section of the OBAUpdate, the trade group mentions a separate letter writing campaignto congressmen on the CU issue to be completed by Sept. 1 and onthat 2,676 letters have been written. Albert Kelly, an OBA pastchairman and president of SpiritBank, Bristow, says that campaignneeds to be perked up to reach a 5,000 letter goal. -

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