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Crossbridge Community Bank Elevates Its Employee Onboarding Experience
Crossbridge Community Bank built a robust onboarding process to ensure new hires feel supported as they settle into their new job.
ICBA Certification Q&A with Michael Hoehn
Michael Hoehn, assistant compliance officer and CRA officer at First Metro Bank in Alabama, shares how he navigates regulations and ensures compliance using his expertise and certifications.
Powering Potential: Finding Common Ground on ICBA Community
ICBA Community gives more than 5,000 bankers space to band together on the industry’s hot topics and issues. Its 14 groups focus on regulation, bank size, personal development and more.
Michael Benedict: Finding the Portfolio's Fit in Your Balance Sheet
Address common problems with creative solutions.
Jack E. Hopkins: Community Banks Are Leaders in Times of Crisis
When faced with a crisis, community banks step up.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Offering Financial Freedom to Communities Nationwide
As we celebrate Independence Day this month, I can’t help but equate that sense of freedom with what we do as community bankers.
Out of Office: Andy Johnson
The chairman, co-CEO and CFO of $385 million-asset Bank of Vernon in Vernon, Alabama, is a seasoned fisherman who casts out any chance he gets.
Kari Neckel: It Matters to Community Banks Who Has Master Accounts
Master accounts are a notable part of the traditional financial institution’s ecosystem, but nontraditional financial companies like crypo-native institutions and nonbanks are gunning for access.
A Decade of Trust. Ready For the Future of Governance.
Is your bank’s board ready for AI? Take the 2025 survey to benchmark your readiness, explore what peers are doing, and request a VIP seat at our exclusive webinar with ICBA’s Charles Potts.
The Overlooked Role of ECM in Compliance, Privacy, and Customer Experience
Enterprise content management (ECM) systems have traditionally been viewed as tools for organizing documents and managing retention schedules.
Nominations Open for 2025's Best Community Banks to Work For Award
Does your community bank pride itself on being an amazing place to work? Now’s your chance to be recognized as one of ICBA’s Best Community Banks to Work For.
Jack E. Hopkins: Meeting the Needs of Tech-Savvy Small Business
COVID accelerated the digital banking landscape, and as a result, community banks have embraced front-facing technology that’s user-friendly for our small business customers.
CorTrust Bank's Blue Jeans Fulfill Big Dreams
CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has turned “casual Fridays” into a rally for community causes.
Embracing Lending Transformation to Control Your Destiny
Today’s banks can gain a competitive advantage by providing a digital experience throughout the entire loan lifecycle – from onboarding to boarding to core and loan management.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: We Empower Our Nation's Small Businesses
When it comes to community banking, we are a nation unto ourselves.
The Key to Winning Over SMBs With Merchant Services
Local businesses appreciate having resources that will give them the boost they need to succeed. With merchant services, community banks can offer those resources and stay competitive.
What Innovative Advantage Does Cloud Lending Give Community Banks?
Community banks are using cloud technology to improve efficiency and enhance customer convenience. See how cloud lending is transforming operations for banks and borrowers alike.
Establishing a Lifelong Career in Community Banking
Individuals looking for a fulfilling career can find their calling within the community banking industry—even if they’d never considered it before.
Out of Office: Matt and Sean Doyle
Matt Doyle, chairman of the board, and his son Sean Doyle, senior VP and sales manager, at Texas First Bank in Texas City, Texas, manage Shamrock Ranch, their family-owned cattle ranch.
WesBanco Offers a Key Lending Alternative for Times of Need
WesBanco prioritizes accessibility and practicality with FlexCash, a solution that offers affordable support for customers facing emergency expenses.
Community Banks Propel Multi-Family Home Growth
During a housing shortage, community banks are using their agility, relationships and market insight to support apartment developments when larger lenders fall short.
Anjelica Dortch: Executive Orders Chart New Policies for Community Bankers
Our industry faces certain changes following President Trump’s recent executive orders. Here’s what you need to know.
Powering Potential: How ICBA is Helping ICBC Cultivate Tomorrow's Leaders
The Independent Community Bankers of Colorado’s leadership initiatives empower professionals to lead with purpose, capped by the ICBA LEAD FWD Summit.
Make Every Season Count With Year-Round Marketing Strategies
Fall is back-to-school season, winter welcomes a range of holidays, spring brings Financial Literacy Month, and summer spurs all sorts of warm weather activities.
Jacob Eisen: A Can't-Miss Business Card Opportunity
Thirty-four percent of small businesses in the U.S. are not comfortable with their cash flow in today’s economy, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index for Q1 2025.
Scott Anchin: Let's Win the Fight Against Elder Fraud
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Recognized by the United Nations since 2011, the date serves as a reminder to protect vulnerable, older members of our community from exploitation.
40 Under 40: 2025's Community Bank Leaders
Our seventh annual 40 Under 40 community bank leaders awards shine a light on inspiring people who take bettering their workplaces to the next level.
What Makes a Leader Truly Great? Experts Weigh In
Good leadership is about much more than one individual’s impact on the bottom line. It’s about how effective leaders use these skills both internally and in the community to build a stronger bank.
Taking the Proper Steps to Unmask Deepfake Fraud
Community banks face the threat of deepfake fraud as developments in AI continue to refine it. While addressing such a challenge, banks must remain cognizant of reporting practices.
How Can Legal Expertise Smooth Succession Transitions?
Succession planning is complicated in all sorts of ways. An attorney or legal team can help iron out the issues and lay out documents that ensure long-term continuity for community banks.
Building Stronger Futures Through the Heartland Bank Community Foundation
Focused on youth development and family enrichment, Heartland Bank’s charitable foundation delivers meaningful results through strategic giving and community partnerships.
Out of Office: Robin McDougald
The chief retail and product officer at $2.3 billion-asset Texas First Bank in Texas City, Texas, is an amateur actress at the Baytown Little Theater in Baytown, Texas.
How the MPF® Program Keeps Community Banks Competitive
Through the Mortgage Partnership Finance® (MPF®) Program, community banks gain access to the secondary mortgage market while benefiting from key competitive advantages.
How Community Bankers Can Fight (and Win) Against Fraud
IBT Apps’ newest ebook is available now! Discover the rising threat of fraud and learn how community banks can proactively defend against it with modern tools and strategies.
How Fraudsters Prey on Good Nature Following Disaster
Even as people suffer and others help their neighbors after devastation from fires, tornadoes or floods, fraudsters are looking to capitalize on both vulnerability and generosity.
Maximizing Profitability with Today's Point-of-Sale Tech
The goal of community banks in a digital age: Be top of wallet. Learn how to take advantage of growing POS innovations like digital wallets.
What's Attracting Small Businesses to Small-Dollar SBA Loans?
Lenders are seeing an increase in small-dollar loans as demand from small business customers surges due to new SBA 7(a) program reforms and higher interest rates.
Michael Benedict: The Resilience of Agency MBS in a Shifting Financial Landscape
Agency mortgage-backed securities rise above the rest in this relative value update.
Alan Keller: What's at Stake for Community Banks in Current Tax Legislation
Facing its expiration date at the end of 2025, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is at a crossroads.
CFG Bank Uplifts Baltimore's Resilience Following Local Tragedy
From donations to innovative money market accounts, CFG Bank is supporting Baltimore as it rebuilds and recovers from the 2024 Key Bridge collapse.
Powering Potential: ICBA Welcomes Peter Nelson
In February 2025, ICBA welcomed Peter Nelson as senior EVP of member engagement. As a long-time community banker, Nelson brings with him a history of robust involvement with ICBA.
What Every Community Bank Needs to Fight Fraud
When it comes to fraud, everything old is new again—and then some.
Charles Potts: Turning Strategy Into Success With the Right Tech
In the current economic environment, your bank’s strategy is worth its weight in gold.
Unlocking Strategic Advantages with ECM Technology
Selecting the right ECM solution for your financial institution can unlock strategic advantages.
Navigate Evolving Fraud With Jack Henry Financial Crimes Defender™
Effectively protect your bank from pervasive fraud threats while putting your customers first with Jack Henry Financial Crimes Defender™.
Community State Bank Brings Joy to Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors
A breast cancer awareness fundraiser at Community State Bank in Union Grove, Wis., culminated in a $1,000 donation for the Heavenly Locks Foundation.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Coming Together to Address Fraud
When it comes to fraud, it takes a village. That may be in part because fraudsters continue to get more sophisticated, and fraud’s effect on banking is skyrocketing.
Jack E. Hopkins: How Education and Technology Drive Down Fraud Risks
Community banks are battling increasingly sophisticated forms of fraud.
Workplace Culture: A Make or Break for Community Bank Employees?
Culture keeps a workplace and its employees running—whether they know it or not. From values and practices to the way colleagues interact, culture drives a community bank from the inside out.
Lindsay LaNore: Strategic Success Starts with a Thoughtful Plan
It’s hard to believe it’s already May, but since we’re here, let’s talk about planning.
Drive Efficiency With These 9 Back Office Upgrades
Much of a community bank’s technical success starts behind the curtain: in the back office. By optimizing this area of operations, a bank can run like a well-oiled machine.
Future Commercial Lending Success Through Consumer Loans
Read Teslar’s white paper to explore why community banks need to engage consumer borrowers to grow and sustain their commercial lending pipeline—and how to do it successfully.
Protect Your Bank From Card Fraud Losses
ICBA Payments helps banks recuperate losses from card fraud with its Fraud Loss Protection Plan, a unique-to-the- industry product designed for and available exclusively to community banks.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Your Advocacy Impact
Sometimes in life, we’re fortunate enough to see our labor yield results, and that’s precisely what’s been happening with our advocacy efforts.
Jack E. Hopkins: Marching to the Beat of Community Banking
As I take on the role of ICBA chairman, I do so with humility, honor and pride in this industry and our mission as community bankers.
Live Oak Bank's Office Design Is Rooted in Innovation
In June 2024, $12.9 billion-asset Live Oak Bank in Wilmington, N.C., debuted a new office building constructed with mass timber materials.
How Community Banks Open Doors for Local Restaurants
Restaurants, just like community banks, are a part of every local economy. And community banks know the best way to support this higher-risk industry.
Strengthening Work Relations Through Bank Employee Surveys
Are your employees happy? Staff surveys are a great way to find out. The key, say community bankers and experts, is following up on what you hear.
Fighting Fraud Under the USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b)
Information sharing, permitted under the USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b), presents opportunities for banks to work together and combat suspicious bank activity.