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ABA: The American Bankers Association

Paul Benda

Executive Vice President, Risk, Fraud & Cybersecurity

Paul Benda

Paul Benda is the Executive Vice President for Risk, Fraud and Cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association. Paul joined the ABA in 2018, where he leads the association’s initiatives in fraud, cybersecurity, physical security, and information security practices and chairs the ABA Fraud Coordination Group. In addition, he acts as a media spokesman for the ABA and the banking industry on these issues. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council which is the primary point of contact for the Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security on cybersecurity and resiliency issues facing the Financial Sector.

His past experiences include leadership positions in the Department of Homeland Security where he was head of research and development and in the Department of Defense where he was a DARPA Program Manager and designed security systems for the Pentagon. Paul started his career as an Active Duty U.S. Air Force officer and transitioned to the private sector where he worked as a consultant for Booz Allen before returning to government service.

  • Staff Analysis
    Vaccine Mandate for Employers with 100 or More Employees

    November 15, 2021

    This staff analysis provides a summary of the ETS's requirements, discusses implementation challenges presented by the ETS, and suggests action steps that banks may wish to take.

  • Staff Analysis
    ABA FAQs on Impact on Banks of President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan

    September 28, 2021

    In response to bankers' questions, ABA has prepared the following 'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ) about the Action Plan.

  • Guide
    How to Mitigate Risks from the Delta Variant

    August 19, 2021

    The rapid spread of the COVID-19 variant is changing the game for banks. Learn the best ways to protect your institution, employees, and customers.

  • Comment Letter
    ABA Letter to CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: "Essential" Workers

    December 10, 2020

    Since the beginning of the pandemic, the American Bankers Association has been working closely with public health agencies including the CDC to ensure that the banking industry maintains the highest level of safety for the nation's two million bank employees and the millions of customers they serve every day. We greatly appreciate the guidance and support we have received from the CDC and other agencies, and we are pleased to report that the banking system has remained open and operational throughout the pandemic. We are proud of the dedicated bank employees who have stepped up to this challenge, and in some cases put themselves at risk to ensure Americans can continue to access their accounts as needed.

  • Guide
    Confronting COVID-19: An Analysis of Surface Contamination Risks

    April 08, 2020

    Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have acknowledged that SARS-CoV-2(also known as COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus) is a new disease and they are still learning how itspreads. This paper was created to outline the recent science behind the transmissibility of the virusthat could lead to infection. While not intended specifically for the unique challenges facing banks,it does contain information that all bank employees could find helpful in reducing risk to staff andcustomers, especially when they utilize an ATM.

  • Staff Analysis
    COVID-19 & Banking FAQs

    March 19, 2020

    ABA experts answer frequently asked questions around Coronavirus (COVID019) and banking

  • Staff Analysis
    Staff Analysis: COVID-19 & Banking FAQ for Members

    March 19, 2020

    ABA’s COVID-19 FAQ contains answers that we have gathered to bankers’ frequently asked questions about the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it’s having on the banking industry.

  • Testimony
    Testimony of Paul Benda before the House Financial Services Committee’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence

    October 18, 2019

    The American Bankers Association (“ABA”) appreciates the opportunity to provide testimony regarding “AI and the Evolution of Cloud Computing: Evaluating How Financial Data is Stored, Protected, and Maintained by Cloud Providers.”

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