Member Benefits: Educated Investing With ICBA Securities

What does your community bank need to succeed with its investment portfolio? Where do you even start? ICBA Securities can show you the way. 

ICBA Securities Corporation is a division of the ICBA Services Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICBA. Through a collaboration with Stifel, its exclusively endorsed broker, ICBA members can receive quality investment products, services and education—all at fair and competitive prices. 

Let’s dive into exactly how community bankers can benefit from these resources.

The only association-owned broker dealer

“ICBA Securities is a registered broker dealer owned by ICBA—we’re the only broker dealer on earth that’s owned by a trade association,” says Jim Reber, president and CEO of ICBA Securities.

ICBA Securities exists to educate community bankers, connect them with a broker to buy necessary bonds and provide up-to-date information about securities and portfolio offerings. 

When it comes to its educational resources, Reber likes to say, “Nobody’s got more than we do!” He and his Stifel partners speak at many live events each year, and they present several webinar series under both brands, often in collaboration. In total, ICBA Securities and Stifel produce 16 webinars a year, available to community bankers free of charge. These webinars offer continuing professional education credits, covering investment portfolios, balance sheet management and economic updates.

Why Stifel?

How does Stifel fit into the ICBA ecosystem? As a full-service brokerage and investment banking firm, it works with ICBA to present community banks with options for bonds and investment insights.

“Stifel has got this fantastic set of solutions,” says Reber. “And we’ve got the ICBA name backing them.”

All community bankers can jump on a virtual call with a Stifel strategist to get insight into the opportunities and solutions they can pursue together. Stifel uses information in call reports to target the needs of each community bank it works with.

“If we get a third of a bank’s business, we consider ourselves to be pretty important to that bank, and it’s repeat business,” says Reber. “It’s an ongoing dialogue between Stifel and the community banks.”

The community banker stamp of approval

As a true testament to ICBA Securities’ capabilities, 34 of ICBA’s state association affiliates have endorsed the service. Reber has made a point to nurture close connections with these associations, including writing educational columns for their newsletters and speaking at a variety of events. 

Stifel also aims to connect with both current and prospective community bank customers. Its representatives attend ICBA and state association conferences throughout the year, and its strategists are often asked to speak at other events because bankers appreciate their subject matter expertise. 

According to Reber, “[Community bankers] are always on the phone or having email conversations with their Stifel sales rep.” 

Many banks have found success working with ICBA Securities. 

For example, an ICBA member in Florida was seeking a $3 million CRA qualifying investment. ICBA subsidiary CRA Partners, which helps community banks fulfill their obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), called a Stifel sales representative to help this community bank. Stifel spent two months finding a limited-edition bond that checked all the bank’s boxes, and it was able to get CRA credit—compliments of ICBA Securities and Stifel.

Working with ICBA Securities and Stifel guarantees a meaningful bond between bank and broker. Learn more about what they can do for you at icba.org/icba-securities