A group of 17 Japanese bankers will observe and learn from their Alabama counterparts during a visit to the state Sept. 9-11.

Samford University will host the community bankers during a three-day visit that will include sessions with Alabama bankers who are enrolled in Samford University's Community Banking School (CBS).

The visiting bankers represent banks that are members of the Tokyo & Kanto Shinkin Association (TKSK), which includes Japan's 386 Shinkin banks. At Samford, they will hear professor John Venable's CBS class discuss a marketing case entitled "The Disappearing Customer" on Monday (SEPT. 9). They will also hear presentations of the CBS students' summer projects. In preparing the projects, the students planned innovations for their respective banks, including customer relations, new internal processes and the introduction of new products. The CBS is a joint program of the Samford School of Business and the Alabama Community Bankers Association. During their Alabama stay, the Japanese bankers will also tour the Birmingham office of the Federal Reserve Bank, the Civil Rights Institute, and the Honda plant in Lincoln. They will visit two community banks: Covenant Bank in Leeds and Heritage Bank in Trussville.