BAI’S BANKING STRATEGIES CITES DR. LINDA EAGLE AS EXPERT ON ELDER FINANCIAL ABUSE

(CHICAGO, IL) – BAI’s Banking Strategies Retail Delivery Insights newsletter has cited Dr. Linda Eagle as a leading expert on elder financial abuse. Dr. Eagle is President of The Edcomm Group, a New York-based consulting firm specializing in banking compliance at the forefront of training banks on identifying and combating elder financial abuse. Through Banker’s Academy (www.bankersacademy.com), Edcomm offers “Focus on Financial Elder Abuse” an eLearning program designed to teach bank employees everything they need to know to recognize the signs of financial elder abuse, protect their elderly customers and safeguard the bank with accurate reporting.

“This is the fastest growing new pattern of fraud in banking,” Eagle says. “And the public relations around [negative issues] can be horrific for the bank.”

With more than 5 million cases per year, financial abuse of elders is the number one crime committed against persons age 65 and older. Currently, 17 states and Washington, D.C. have passed laws that require bank personnel to report suspected cases of elder financial abuse. Another 33 states recommend it. Revision to the Elder Justice Act of 2003 is in committee and is expected to pass this year.

Elder financial abuse is defined as the illegal taking, misuse or concealment of funds, property or assets of vulnerable elders, either without their consent or with consent obtained by trickery, intimidation or force. Elder financial abuse can involve anything from a telemarketer's solicitation on behalf of a fake charity to a family member's misuse of power of attorney.

The Edcomm Group has been a driving force in the campaign to educate bank personnel about elder financial abuse. Edcomm's course, Focus on Elder Financial Abuse, is designed to help banks cope with the new laws targeting elder financial abuse by teaching front line staff about how to best serve their elderly customers while reducing risk to the bank.

Focus on Elder Financial Abuse is a comprehensive eLearning program providing training on issues related to elder financial abuse. The course covers: defining elder financial abuse and the laws governing it, detecting the red flags of elder financial abuse, and reporting elder financial abuse properly. Focus on Elder Financial Abuse is geared towards teaching participants how to identify elder abuse and how to protect both their customers and the bank, with accurate, compliant reporting.

Dr. Eagle is frequently invited to speak on a range of topics including distance learning, adult education, compliance training, teller training, ethics training, technological advances in training and education, and business solutions. Linda’s educational background in psychology and communications and her experience in organizational consulting give her unique insight into the practical application of training and communication programs that provide measurable benefits. She has provided consulting and training services to hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries. Published in many national publications including USA Today, as well as American Banker, Linda has also appeared on several local and national radio and television news programs.

BAI is the financial services industry’s leading professional organization focused on enhancing employee and organizational performance. Through ground-breaking research and an award-winning magazine, Banking Strategies, BAI provides the latest insights on complex, strategic issues in financial services.

The Edcomm Group has had the privilege of assisting many distinguished clients with business solutions in the form of eLearning programs, classroom instruction, multimedia production and online and print based documentation. In addition to the development of customized programs, The Edcomm Group offers many banking specific off-the-shelf products such as Teller Training and Compliance Training that have proven themselves effective in organizations around the world.

The Edcomm Group is a 19-year-old multimedia education and communication consulting firm specializing in the development of creative business solutions that improve productivity, customer service and market share — providing bottom-line results. The Edcomm Group (www.edcomm.com) (www.bankersacademy.com) is headquartered in New York City with an Advanced Design Center located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

For more information, please contact:

Linda Eagle
President, The Edcomm Group
1-888-4EDCOMM
linda.eagle@edcomm.com