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Why banks are becoming B Corps
With a commitment to better business practices, B Corps, designated by the non-profit B Lab, are a growing force that count many financial institutions and household brands as members. Could being...
Let's define 'unfair, deceptive or absuive'
More than its predecessors, the Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices can be a murky regulation for compliance officers. How well do you know the ins and outs of UDAAP?
Community Bank CFO Outlook 2019: What are your peers forecasting?
Independent Banker’s Community Bank CFO Outlook survey asked community bank C how they plan to tackle financial challenges, from complying with high-profile accounting standards to utilizing...
Revealed: ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2019
Our annual list of the year’s go-getters is here! Read on to see the 75 community banks that took the crown, and hear from nine that shined because of their cutting-edge technology, strategic...
What’s in your bank’s swag bag?
Forget toasters. Community banks are standing out from the competition and luring new customers with innovative incentives.
Ways to avoid flood insurance compliance violations
Avoiding flood insurance-related violations requires understanding loans, notifying customers and/or assessing insurance coverage requirements.
Site visits still matter. Here’s why
Site visits are the key to protecting your community bank’s commercial and industrial portfolio. Here’s why.
Community Spirit: Dennis Frandsen
After a lengthy entrepreneurial career, Dennis Frandsen of Frandsen Bank & Trust is giving back by helping Minnesota students pay their tuition.
Digital marketing tools your bank should know about
Digital marketing is evolving rapidly to meet customers where they are. We look at how remarketing, geofencing and other techniques can help your community bank get the word out.
Community Bank CEO Outlook 2019: What’s on your peers’ to-do list?
Independent Banker’s inaugural Community Bank CEO Outlook survey asked community bank CEOs how they plan to meet their challenges this year. Read on for a glimpse of their to-do lists for 2019,...
How to build a successful payments strategy
Customer expectations and fierce competition—it’s never been more important to think strategically about your payments offering.
Meet the winners of ICBA’s 2018 National Community Bank Service Awards
Whether they are overhauling local education, main streets or even their own reputation, ICBA’s 2018 National Community Service Award winners were unafraid to dig deep—figuratively and...
The pros and cons of niche lending
In niche lending, your community bank’s fate comes down to expertise and passion for the work.
ICBA’s 2018 top lenders: Who made the cut?
Every year, ICBA calculates the top community bank loan producers in the agricultural, commercial and consumer categories. This year’s lending leaders point to many different success factors, but...
Revealed: ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2018
Our annual coast-to-coast roster of high achievers is here! Read on to see the 75 community banks that made the cut, and hear from nine we’ve highlighted for their consistent high performance and...
Community banks get creative with unused branch space
As branch square-footage requirements shrink, community banks are reserving extra space for everything from community events to small-business meetings.
10 tips to boost cross-selling
Throw your sales goals out the window. Help customers get what they want, and your bottom line will take care of itself.
Two approaches to overdrawn accounts
What community bankers should know about overdraft and sweep account rules.
Inside the new style of leadership
Successful community bank leaders inspire from the top while putting the team first. Here’s how.
Focus: The Right to Financial Privacy Act
What community bankers need to know about protecting and disclosing customers’ financial records.
ICBA’s top loan producers for 2017: Find out who made the list
Every year, ICBA calculates the top community bank loan producers in the agricultural, commercial and consumer categories, broken down by asset size. Read about 2017's lending leaders.
Who are ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2017?
Independent Banker’s annual listing of America’s best-performing community banks
Best practices for fighting counterfeit bills
Cash may no longer be king in the U.S., but millions of dollars in counterfeit bills make their way into the system each year. Fortunately, there are some simple ways community banks can stop...
ICBAs State of Community Banking survey results are in
Our annual State of Community Banking Survey of ICBA member banks reports that you’re planning to grow through creating efficiencies, introducing new technology, and investing in digital marketing....
What exactly is encryption, and how does it work?
Whether data is in storage or being beamed across the internet, the security expert’s motto is “Encryption everywhere” to ensure that information is safe. But what exactly is it, and how does it...
Internal audit: in-house or third-party?
An internal audit reveals opportunities for improvement across the board, making your community bank safer and more efficient. Take a look at the pros and cons of conducting an internal audit...
Timeline: 180 years of banking technology
A look at the history of retail banking technology—and where it’s going.
2017 ICBA National Community Bank Service Award Honorees
In extraordinary circumstances, this year’s National Community Bank Service Award honorees have gone the extra mile for their communities.
How to boost creativity at your bank
Large corporations that lack the agility of startups often turn to “intrapreneurship” to make time and space for creative development in the workplace. Should community banks be doing the same?
Qualitative ALLL
Considering qualitative factors in calculating loan-loss allowances
What happens when a bank hits $10 billion?
How—and when—should you prepare for the regulatory and cultural aftershocks? And can smaller but ambitious community banks learn from these best-practice preparations?
E-Signature Approval
Legally and operationally, digital John Hancocks come of age in lending.
Climbing the Community Bank Career Ladder
What’s special about community banking is the support and growth young bankers see throughout their careers.
Community Banks Step Up After California Wildfire Devastation
In the wake of the wildfires that devastated areas of southern California, community banks stepped up to help locals recover and rebuild.
Jim Reber: Whole lotta thinkin’ going on
I hope the readers of this column will excuse the lack of decorum in the title, but in reading and listening to the words of the Federal Reserve Board’s members over the past month, I hear a lot of...
How to Build an AI Policy at Your Community Bank
Artificial intelligence is here to stay, whether it’s generative AI, part of your bank’s neural network or both. That’s why having an AI policy is important.
Why Face-to-Face Lending Still Matters
Many people want face-to-face interaction when they’re on the cusp of a major financial decision.
Instant Payments Insights Every Community Bank Needs
Vendors share their specialized insight into the instant payments market to help community banks understand how they can grow in this technology-forward area.
Build a Better Banking App With These 5 Tips
If you want your app to be a cut above the rest and give your customers the ideal experience, take note of accessibility, gamification, demographics and other appealing features.
Alpine Bank Racks Up Thousands of Volunteer Hours
Alpine Bank’s “24 in ’24” campaign inspired employees to dedicate thousands of hours to the causes they care about, boosting staff and customer satisfaction along the way.