EBA Member Expectations

Preamble: One of the strongest assets of the Environmental Bankers Association (EBA) is its membership. The EBA directors and officers value the perspectives, participation and diversity that the membership brings to the organization. However, membership comes with responsibilities. In this regard, the following suggestions around member expectations as well as guidelines around conduct are being provided.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

ANTITRUST GUIDELINES

For Affiliate & Sustaining Members:

1. Understanding Banking Member Needs and Processes as they Relate to Your Services. Please understand that the banking members generally have an established list of vendors with whom they have developed relationships. While the EBA encourages banking members to consider affiliate members when expanding their approved vendor list, adding a vendor is a careful and often a prolonged process. Additionally, due to the ebb and flow of work, which is dependent on business models and regional demand, the necessity for adding new vendors may be infrequent. In general however, the EBA likes to see affiliates and banking members work together whenever it makes sense.

2. Long-Term Partnerships. The EBA banking members universally want long-term partnerships with their affiliates that provide high quality and consistent work product and service that focus on positive solutions in identifying and assessing environmental risk. Aggressive solicitation to obtain a partnership with a banking member can be counterproductive. Rather, sharing information, experiences and examples of how you have helped your clients identify, avoid and mitigate environmental risk is a more effective approach. If there is a fit with a banking member, it will come to light in the course of conversations. An excellent way to show your skills and abilities is to get involved! Join the committee calls and participate in the dialogue. Think about contributing to presentations or sitting on a panel at one of the meetings. If you have a relevant topic that may be of interest to the general membership, please suggest it to the EBA directors, officers or committee chairs.

3. Consider Partnering with Other Affiliates. We have many affiliates who find productive ways to partner in serving the banking members on projects. Use the meetings to network with your colleagues in the industry. Many EBA affiliates have also found it beneficial when it comes to their careers, to know their counterparts and remain in good terms, which can help land future opportunities.

4. Committee Co-chairs. Affiliate members may serve as co-chairs for the Risk, Business Development, Technical, Sustainability, Trust and ASTM/Legal Committees. As a co-chair you may chair a meeting in the absence of the Chair, help with developing topics and inviting experts to participate as a speaker. Assistance with updating Tip Sheets and reporting on ASTM standards and developments is always welcomed.

For Banking Members:

1. Value all affiliates. Please remember that all EBA affiliate members contribute to make the organization viable. Please make the effort to get to know more of them. Many of the affiliates provide sponsorships and set up booths at our meetings. All of this effort (and expense) makes us better as an organization. Please recognize these efforts by participating in the mixers and thanking the sponsors. Visit each booth during the semi-annual meetings and say ‘hello’ to the professionals staffing those displays.

When sourcing new vendors, please consider as a first resource the EBA affiliate members. We believe participation in the EBA makes affiliates better service providers. However, please recognize that the EBA does not endorse its members, and the decision to do business together must be a mutual decision based on each party’s own due diligence.

2. Participate. Just as we ask all affiliates to become active with committee meetings, tip sheets and the semi-annual meetings, it’s every bit as important for the banking members to stay active. The EBA looks to all to provide input on topics of relevance and to support these efforts. Banker contributions and perspectives are especially valued given the EBA’s mission and vision statements:

Mission: “To protect and preserve bank net income and assets from environmental exposure and liability resulting from lending and trust activities through the deployment of environmental risk management.”

Vision: “Enhance visibility and awareness of environmental risk management’s global role in promoting environmentally sound lending and fiduciary activities, sustainable development, and new concepts of social responsibility for the financial services industry.”

If you have a relevant topic which may be of interest to the general membership, please suggest it to the EBA directors, officers, or committee chairs.

3. Officerships and Committee Chairs. A great way to boost your resume and build leadership skills is to expand your influence. The EBA needs fresh perspectives. Participation provides opportunities for professional growth. If you’d like to get more involved, consider tossing your name into the hat for a larger role. Self nominations are perfectly acceptable. Elections are held every two years.

All EBA Members

A. Bank Bribery Act. Federally insured banking members are subject to a code of conduct. Generally, accepting or soliciting benefits or items of value from a third person or party is prohibited in connection with any transaction or business of a banking member’s financial institution, even if the individual does not directly benefit from the item of value. Gifts in cash, stored value Visa, etc. cards or in check form in any amount are prohibited.  For additional information on this matter, please see the FDIC’s policy statement: FDIC Law, Regulations, Related Acts - Statements of Policy

B. Participate:

1. If you are able, attend the winter/summer meetings. When you do attend in person, please make the effort to attend and participate in the presentations. The EBA goes to great lengths to develop relevant presentation topics supported by industry experts who take the time and effort to assemble meaningful presentations and panel discussions. Let’s not offend them by leaving the meeting room nearly empty. If you’re not able to attend, check out the presentations posted to the EBA web site. Also, you can still stay connected by participating in the committee calls and reading Bank Notes. Utilize the great resources on the web site: tip sheets and committee call replays are available as well as meeting presentations.

2. Let your ideas be heard! We openly invite thoughts and suggestions for meeting and committee subject topics, meeting formats, new technologies, emerging issues, etc. If you’ve attended other conferences or meetings where current topics of interest were presented, it’s likely that the EBA membership would also find them to be of interest.

3. Some bankers and affiliates set up meetings during the actual EBA presentations. Please limit and preferably avoid this “alternate” track approach. There’s always plenty of time to have breakfast or dinner meetings before and after the main presentations.

C. Meeting Attire: Many of our presenters do choose to dress more professionally at their option. Business casual attire is the predominant dress code observed by most attendees. If you choose to participate in the EBA Gives Back or other recreational event, bring whatever is appropriate to wear given the prevailing weather conditions and the type of event.

D. Value of Membership. To attain the full value of your membership in the EBA, please take a moment to review the following value added benefits for members (affiliates and bankers) obtained from active participation in the EBA, whether it is conference calls, sub-committee meetings, or the semi-annual EBA conferences.

A. Networking

1. National

B. Education

1. Job/Business specific education (i.e. vapor intrusion)

2. Industry specific education – don’t be caught off guard

3. Information of value to you in existing role or to add value to other clients or in other business endeavors – share the information and add value

C. Access to resources

1. Industry experts

2. Web site of information

3. Tip sheets

D. Input and advising in developing industry standards and government regulations

1. ASTM and BEPA

2. Federal AAI standard

3. UNEP FI

4. US EPA & SBA

Issued: January 2013