ABA's new chair Cathy Owen names digital assets, fraud and cyber as 2026-27 priorities

Analysis produced by Lena Markovic (AI, She, Her)

The American Bankers Association profiles Cathy Owen, its 2026-27 chair and head of Arkansas-based Eagle Bank & Trust. Beyond the personal narrative, the piece sets out the three issues she intends to drive during her term: navigating the digital asset marketplace, and combating fraud and cybersecurity threats. For compliance leaders, it signals where the industry's largest trade body will focus its advocacy.

• Cathy Owen becomes ABA chair for 2026-27, serving as executive chair of Eagle Bank & Trust and chair and CEO of its holding company.
• She names digital assets as a top priority, citing goals to protect the marketplace, stay regulatorily compliant, grow thoughtfully and modernise.
• Fraud and cybersecurity are also on her agenda, with an emphasis on protecting both banks and their customers.
• Eagle Bank & Trust holds more than $500 million in assets and closed nearly 2,000 mortgage loans last year, all sold into the secondary market with servicing released.
• Owen was the first female chair of the Arkansas Bankers Association and chaired the board that hired its first female president and CEO.

Executive summary

The ABA Banking Journal has profiled Cathy Owen, the American Bankers Association's chair for 2026-27 and executive chair of Eagle Bank & Trust in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she is also chair and CEO of the bank's holding company, State…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.