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ABA Policy Positions Preamble
This policy book reflects the diverse and forward-looking agenda of the American Bankers Association. Our member banks pursue progressive, entrepreneurial and service-oriented strategies to provide financial services to benefit their customers and communities. These policies are designed to help bankers achieve their goals by maximizing the operating flexibility and business options available to them while reducing federal regulatory burdens.
ABA's members operate in complex economic and public policy environments. As insured depository institutions and the central participants in the nation's payments system, they comply with an extensive set of government regulations and are affected by numerous public programs. As private businesses they must offer competitive products and services to meet vigorous competition from a broad array of financial companies. ABA's role as a national trade association is to facilitate the ability of our members to serve their customers, such as through efforts to encourage the development of new business opportunities, eliminate unnecessary restrictions on banks, and work to ensure that the government's actions in the nation's financial system are reasonable and equitable – supporting the mission of our members to serve their customers.
The American Bankers Association has established the following Action Priority Areas for 2008:
• Competition from Government-Advantaged Industries, Including Credit Unions and the Farm Credit System
• Industrial Loan Companies
• The Payments System, Including Data Security Issues
• Mortgage Markets and Practices
• GSE Issues, Including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System
• Basel Capital Standards
ABA's members participated directly in the formation of each policy position included in this book and selected the priority objectives. The Board of Directors and other policy committees based the policies on extensive discussion and consideration. While ABA's agenda is wide-ranging, ABA remains focused on top priorities established by the Board of Directors. These issues and priorities will be adjusted and updated as new issues present themselves, events change, and the policy process moves forward in Congress and among the regulators.
ABA's priorities flow from a set of fundamental policy principles that are more constant, though renewed by the members as the industry evolves and new challenges and possibilities arise.
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