FDIC-Insured - Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. GovernmentFDIC-Insured - Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government
2025 marks the 120th anniversary of Century Next Bank. Each month, members of our team will share something significant about banking history. In recognition of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Marketing Assistant Melinda Brown visited with Amanda Parker, SVP, Chief Technology Officer. During Katrina, both were directly impacted, and now both work at Century Next.
On August 29, 2005, twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall covering the Gulf Coast including the New Orleans area and east of the city. However, the impact of the storm spread across a much larger region. Industries had to rethink disaster and recovery, and what that should look like. The banking industry was no exception.
Having lived in New Orleans during the time of Katrina, although I evacuated the Saturday prior, I am keenly aware of the trepidation of impending storms. We lived in Lakeview and lost everything. Trying to recover and get copies of birth certificates, navigating insurance, locating neighbors, and securing a bank that would work with us while away from home, were a few of the many challenges. I am grateful to see the stellar work Century Next Bank has placed on customer and employee support during disaster events.
I sat down with Amanda Parker, SVP, Chief Technology Officer to ask what Century Next Bank has in place for such unexpected events.
I spent some time in the Superdome and the Morial Convention Center, but I also drove a refuel truck to fuel generators for first responders like NOPD, State Police, etc.
My time in the Guard taught me to analyze risks in a different way.
There are three approaches to events that we address: Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Incident Response.
In general terms, Business Continuity is how we continue to serve customers following the event; Disaster Recovery is the after action following an actual disaster like a flood, tornado, hurricane, etc.; and an Incident Response usually involves some type of security event like a robbery, suspicious person, cyberbreach, etc. There is overflow between the approaches.
Redundancies. We have back up systems. Think about communication- if cell towers are down, how do we communicate? Are the land lines working? Can you email? Since the bank is considered a critical infrastructure, we have certain communication means available to us. We also have ability for staffers to work remotely to process transactions, and we use offsite servers and primary data centers to keep our customers supported.
Each year we have a tabletop drill for a scenario that will test all of our actions and approaches for an event. Everyone in our bank from the CEO to the newest Teller knows their job and role.
The purpose is to practice our procedures for a given emergency. After the tabletop drill we have an After-Action Review, which is a term from my National Guard days. In this review we gauge what needs to change, what works, and if any additional measures are needed.
Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Incident Response cover a very broad range of scenarios, so it is difficult to pin down one action. However, I will say my first action is to gather the facts and details about the incident - to flush out the rumors and dispel the “I think” and the “I heard” conversations that often build up. Communication is a first step in all areas of recovery.
One good thing that has come out of increased banking regulations is that banks are held accountable for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans. Regulators share with banks their expectations, as well as examples of what is a good plan. In my role at Century Next, I feel confident in our preparations to support our customers during times of disaster and recovery.
