Community banks stand the test of time. In this month’s issue, we’re celebrating banks that have been around for 100, 150, 200 years, and that’s an achievement to be honored—but it’s not surprising.
Alice P. Frazier: The Lasting Community Bank Legacy
Community banks stand the test of time. In this month’s issue, we’re celebrating banks that have been around for 100, 150, 200 years, and that’s an achievement to be honored—but it’s not surprising.
Photo by Tim King
August 01, 2026 / By Alice P. Frazier
Community banks stand the test of time. In this month’s issue, we’re celebrating banks that have been around for 100, 150, 200 years, and that’s an achievement to be honored—but it’s not surprising.
Community banks stand the test of time. In this month’s issue, we’re celebrating banks that have been around for 100, 150, 200 years, and that’s an achievement to be honored—but it’s not surprising.
That’s because community banks dive deep into connection. The intention to know our customers, to know our communities, makes us a part of something bigger. We offer more than a transaction; we offer a relationship.
Making it personal
Share your stories
Head to ICBA Community to share your bank’s successes with your peers. Visit community.icba.org.
Banking is very personal. You’re taking care of people’s money and helping them strengthen their financial well-being. To do that successfully, you have to build trust and form long-term relationships. Everything we do centers on building trust and caring for the individual. Modern technological advancements simplify those interactions, but we pursue them with the goal of supporting our customers more fully.
We care, and that core sentiment transcends what we do. For instance, our branch teams are used to seeing certain clients regularly. They come every Wednesday or stop in twice a week, or they call, and when they don’t show up and it’s unexpected, we reach out. In fact, when our team recently reached out to a client, we found out this particular individual had been sick and needed help, and we were able to intervene and provide support.
Or, consider that one of our collections officers regularly spoke with husband-and-wife borrowers who were nearly always late with payments. They were struggling, and our team consistently worked with them. So, when a family member passed away and left them a million-dollar estate, they came in to see their collections officer, because in their mind, he was their banker who took care of them.
I know you all have similar stories to tell, because we are committed to our customers and communities, and I invite you to share them on ICBA Community. It benefits us all to celebrate the ways we make a difference.
Adapting for the future
We’re in our relationships for the long haul, supporting our customer-first model with digital solutions. We use modern technology to offer new ways for our customers to interact and engage with us, but what keeps them returning is the fact that we’ll always be there when they need it, and we know them personally.
So, as we address competitive pressures, introduce new technologies and deliver on needs, we do so with our customers at the center of it all. If everything we do begins and ends with building trust and caring for the individual, there is no doubt that we will continue to flourish for centuries to come.
Quote of the month
“Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt.”
—Nolan Ryan
Alice P. Frazier is president and CEO of Potomac Bank in Charles Town, West Virginia.
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