ATLANTA — To ensure that credit unions and banks are ready to deal with emergency preparedness, disaster recovery or business continuity issues, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance has established the GeorgiaFirst Recovery Coalition.

The regulator is encouraging all of Georgia's financial institutions to join the coalition, which will work to establish an alliance with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and other public safety agencies for exchange of information and resources in order to act more quickly following a disaster or an event affecting financial services. The department said it is planning three more kick-off meetings throughout Georgia over the next 45 days.

The coalition also aims to address homeland security issues that would require a collective response from Georgia's financial institutions. Methods and procedures for credentialing crisis management teams at Georgia's credit unions and banks would also be established.

For the purposes of the coalition, the state has been organized into eight regions to allow more structure, coordination with GEMA regions, and for more defined response capabilities in the event of a disaster, according to GDBF.

Credit unions interested in participating should contact Ted Hansen with the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center at [email protected] or 770-664-4207 or Rick Kelly with Synovus at [email protected] or 706-644-4316.