Commissioner's Corner
By: J. Thomas Thull, Bank Commissioner
The publicity surrounding the sub-prime mortgage dilemma during the last six months has given way to Presidential politics and the greater economy. Although we will continue to monitor foreclosure activity in Kansas, our efforts will also focus on consumer protection and education. Beginning in February of this year, we will place public awareness ads in approximately 144 Kansas newspapers. The message in those ads will encourage Kansans to understand their mortgage documents before they sign them, know their responsibilities and rights under the mortgage, and provide contact information for experts who can answer mortgage and foreclosure questions. Our goal is to ensure that consumers with mortgage difficulties are not avoiding the problem but instead reaching solutions good for both the consumer and their lender.
During the last part of 2007, Kenneth Torgler was named as the Director of Examinations within the Banking Division, and Scott Hatfield was promoted to replace Ken as the Regional Manager of the East Region covering the Topeka and Lenexa field offices. Adam Courtney was promoted to Regional Manager within the Consumer and Mortgage Lending Division overseeing the Lenexa and Wichita field staff. We are pleased these individuals have assumed these management positions and would encourage you to call on them if you are in need of assistance. Additionally we have hired five additional examiners in the Consumer and Mortgage lending Division, and by mid February, we intend to fill another three vacant examiner positions, which will bring us to the staffing level approved by the legislature.
For 2008 we have a lengthy list of things to consider: completion of a strategic plan; upgrades in the data bases for our agency, including document imaging and more online services to our customers; a request for proposals for office space as our main office location lease expires in 2009; an initiative to increase the number of state chartered banks; expanded training for our examination staff; a review of the staffing levels in our IT area; a commissioner's tour of the state; and an overall review of the salary structure for our agency.
In late March we will attend the CSBS Legislative Fly-In held in Washington, D.C. If you have issues you would like us to bring to the attention of our congressional delegation, please do not hesitate to contact the office and let us know. Our door is always open for this discussion or any other matter.
