Summer is almost over which means...

A message from President and CEO John J. Blake III

...the start of school, a new football season is approaching and the fall season is around the corner. I know this is hard to believe since we tend to have our hottest weather in August and September. Nonetheless the year is flying by quick. My parents always told me the older you get the quicker time passes, and they were right.

School starting means new school clothes and lots of school supplies. This can be quite expensive depending upon the size of the family. If we can help with back to school expenses please drop by or call one of our branches today. Not only do we have great back to school loan rates, we also offer credit cards at competitive rates to help your back-to-school needs. Our VISA cards are a great way to help manage your college-bound spending and best of all our credit cards give you local service for questions and payments.

Recently I attended a bank conference and had the pleasure of listening to Drew Brees. Drew of course is the quarterback of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. I would like to share a few of his comments. He stated that in 2006 they started training camp at Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. Drew stated it was the hottest training camp ever. However at that training camp the players really bonded, and from that day forward they were determined to win a Super Bowl for the City of New Orleans and its people.

Drew noted that the players created and adopted a credo for the team they named “FAITH”. Drew stated, “Since we adopted “FAITH” as our team credo we have lived it out in every action.” Drew credited this as one of the reasons they made it to and won the Super Bowl. FAITH stands for:

• Fortitude
• Attitude
• Integrity
• Trust
• Humility

Drew also quoted former President Harry Truman who said, “You can accomplish anything in life if you don’t care who gets credit.” It was obvious to me that besides Drew’s great athletic abilities; he is also great leader. Drew is a “giver” not a “taker”. Givers always receive more in life than takers. He truly cares about his players and has great compassion for all that the City of New Orleans and its people have endured. It just proves the point how far you can go with just a little “FAITH”.

John J. Blake, III
President/CEO