Jim Bedsole Receives 2023 ABA Distinguished Service Award for Compliance

GREENSBORO, GA June 16, 2023 — Jim Bedsole, SVP, Chief Compliance & Risk Officer for BankSouth headquartered on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA, was awarded the 2023 American Bankers Association’s Distinguished Service Award for Compliance. The award was presented to Bedsole during The ABA’s 2023 Risk and Compliance Conference in San Antonio, Texas and recognizes leadership, initiative, and accomplishment in banking regulatory compliance management, as well as volunteer service to ABA and the industry.

The ABA Compliance Administrative Committee, composed of leading bank executives in the compliance profession, requests nominations and chooses the honoree each year.

“The ABA made an excellent decision when they selected Jim for this award. Jim is passionate about his field of expertise and is very generous in sharing his knowledge and insight,” says Harold Reynolds, Chairman and CEO of BankSouth. “It was a pleasure to see Jim receive this honor because I know how much this award means to him. All of us at BankSouth appreciate and respect Jim and value his friendship.”

“I’m honored and humbled to be selected for this award,” says Bedsole. “I’m thankful to my early compliance mentors who set the example of giving back to the industry and I’ve always strived to follow in their footsteps. To me, banking compliance is all about making sure we treat all our customers with dignity and respect in helping them reach their financial goals. And I’m delighted to be at BankSouth where they share that belief and provide wonderful support for my role.”

“Jim has dedicated his career to strengthening bank compliance management while sharing his knowledge, experience and support with other industry professionals along the way,” said Ginny O’Neill, ABA’s executive vice president of regulatory compliance and policy. “We are grateful for his efforts and for the opportunity to recognize him as this year’s Distinguished Service Award recipient.”

Bedsole has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The Citadel. He is also a graduate of the ABA National Graduate School of Compliance Management. He is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, Certified Enterprise Risk Professional, Certified AML and Fraud Professional, Certified Cannabis Banking Professional, Certified Bank Auditor, Certified Financial Services Auditor, and Fair Lending Expert.

Bedsole is a frequent speaker and industry thought leader on the topics of risk management, compliance, consumer protection regulations, auditing, and internet banking regulation. Currently, he serves as the vice-chairman of the Georgia Bankers Association (GBA) Compliance School Board and on the faculty for the GBA Banking School and GBA Compliance School. Throughout his career he has held various roles that include co-chair of the ABA Risk Management Forum Advisory Committee, Chairman of the SC Bankers Association Compliance and Regulatory Committee and authored numerous articles appearing in both regional and national publications.

Bedsole was also featured on a recent episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast where he discussed his career journey, current trends within the compliance field and the future of risk and compliance. Listen to the full interview on the ABA podcast.

Aside from his wealth of knowledge and experience in banking compliance and regulation, Bedsole is also an active private pilot with an instrument rating.

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About BankSouth

Today, BankSouth is a leading community bank headquartered at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia, and is recognized as a top-performing bank nationwide. With over $1 billion in assets, BankSouth serves customers with branches in Atlanta, Greensboro, Savannah, Watkinsville, and beyond with a full suite of consumer, commercial, digital banking and lending products. Currently, BankSouth Mortgage originates over $2.0 billion in home loans with more than 60 experienced loan officers across their twelve locations. For BankSouth locations and more information, please visit banksouth.com.

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