Florida Banking October 2021

FBEF: FACES OF THE FOUNDATION

JURIS MASTER DEGREE MAKES A BANKER MARKETABLE

BY DARIA IBACH, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, CREDIT ADMINISTRATION, COMMERCIAL CREDIT ANALYST II AT CAPITAL CITY BANK FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY – GRADUATED SUMMER 2020 WITH A JURIS MASTER IN FINANCIAL REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE

P eople have asked why I went back to school, particularly for a degree that does not appear to be within my area of expertise. However, compliance in banking touches every area and every department of the bank. It is not going away and it is not going to get easier. I have always been a big picture person or global thinker. I want to know why we do the things we do and ask a lot of questions. It is important to know the thought progression behind procedures, policies and decisions so I can ask better questions and make better decisions through logic and reasoning. Above the entrance to Dodd Hall on the campus of Florida State University are the anonymously penned words: “The half of knowledge is to know where to find knowledge.” This has taken on a different and new meaning as information available on the internet can be flawed or just plain incorrect. The Florida State University Juris Master Degree, with a focus on Financial Regulation and Compliance, taught me how to interpret regulations and understand why agencies promulgated certain rules. I now know where to find how and why certain laws exist, which has helped prompt me to have more relevant conversations about strategy and risk. I understand risk in a different way and I am able to respond more appropriately and effectively to examiner questions. Also, I assist the bank in developing improved processes, procedures and policies that comply not only with the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law. The Florida Bankers Educational Foundation helped me continue my lifelong journey of learning. Capital City Bank has a great tuition assistance program which paid for my tuition, but there are many other fees and expenses that are required to be paid when attending university. The scholarship from the Florida Bankers Educational Foundation went a long way toward paying these expenses and I am sincerely grateful to

the Foundation and to all those who have donated. These donations helped me become a banker who is able to help our industry operate more fairly and more ethically for the clients we help and the communities where we operate. A degree doesn’t necessarily say to an employer that I have all the skills necessary to do a certain job. What it does say is that not only do I have the ability to learn at a high level, but I have the drive and determination to keep focused and keep learning , no matter how difficult the task may seem. The added value for me is that it boosts my resume and makes me more valuable — more marketable. I believe that my Juris Master degree will help me be more competitive in the future when a desirable opportunity at my bank presents itself. I am ready for the next challenge. The FBA is very pleased to partner with Florida State University College of Law to offer FBA members an important degree program for our banking professionals. The Juris Master in Financial Regulation and Compliance is an online, 30-credit hour master’s in law that can be completed on a part time basis. When you enroll in this online program to obtain a JM degree in Financial Regulation and Compliance from Florida State University College of Law, you will enhance your own professional development, the reputation of your financial institution and that of the banking industry. The JM program provides bankers and regulators a unique opportunity to: obtain a graduate degree from a highly acclaimed institution with a particular focus on bank compliance issues and the law. For more information about the Juris Master Online Program go to law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs or contact Laura Sellatti, Juris Master Program Director, at (850) 644-6022 or lsellati@law.fsu.edu.

18 — FLORIDA BANKING THE VOICE OF FLORIDA BANKING