Cheryl Winokur Munk

People make mistakes, but insurance can help ensure the bank doesn’t foot the bill for them.

This has been a year of change for the bank regulatory environment. With the once-in-a-decade EGRPRA regulatory review process now underway, community banks have a special opportunity to make their voices heard. Independent Banker caught up with Amy Ledig, vice president of capital, accounting and finance policy at ICBA, to discuss the regulatory outlook.

Many people want face-to-face interaction when they’re on the cusp of a major financial decision. Community banks must offer both technology and in-person service to deliver a superior lending experience.

Is your community bank thinking about launching an initial public offering or over-the-counter trading of stocks to raise liquidity? The rewards could be great—but both options come with extra regulatory requirements and costs. Careful consideration is critical.

Go into fintech contract negotiations with clear intention to save your community bank from future conflict.

A website isn’t just for location, hours and product information. It’s often a prospective customer’s first view of your community bank. Here’s how to tell your bank’s story online in an engaging and compelling way.

Routine reporting can be time- and paper-intensive—but automation can take mundane tasks off your team’s plate and create all kinds of other efficiencies.

A new branch can present new opportunities for community banks—if you plan thoroughly and calculate the risk involved.

This past year has been one of fluctuation for many community banks, amid inflation, rule changes and other uncertainties. Independent Banker caught up with several chief financial officers to get a handle on how community banks are weathering these changes.

Community banks need to maintain a healthy relationship with their legal representatives, especially when it’s through a third party. Community bankers and other experts explain how they evaluate potential law firm partners.

Education on how to keep data safe is important for both community bank employees and their customers. Community bankers and data privacy experts share their tips to help keep data safe.

As your bank grows in asset size, it’s vital to keep up with compliance regulations to meet the standards of each new threshold. By planning ahead and preparing your staff, the process can be seamless.

Having general counsel is critical for community banks, but what’s the right balance between in-house and external counsel? Community bankers and legal experts weigh in on how to create the right strategy for your bank.

In the face of a possible recession, preparation and proactivity are key to making the most of economic uncertainty. Consultants, community bank leaders and other industry observers provide their tips for tightening up your community bank’s finances, increasing revenue streams and preparing customers for what’s ahead.

A new approach to loan protocols is just one way for community banks to grow in new and different directions. Assessing best practices, rates, marketing efforts and more can position loan producers for future success in unpredictable market conditions.

A profitability strategy has a lot to factor in given today’s uncertain market. Here’s what community bankers need to know when planning their budgets for the next year.

From the impacts of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to inflation from recent stimulus packages, 2021 has thrown chief financial officers several curveballs. Last year, we spoke to several community bank CFOs about how they were planning amid 2020’s pandemic-related uncertainties. This year, we circled back with many of these same executives to get their take on how things went and what’s ahead given the changing economic landscape.

Under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), partnerships between minority- and majority-owned banks can prove beneficial for all parties. Here’s how two banks came together to leverage each other’s resources and get CRA credit in the process.

When people move to the U.S. from other countries, they often don’t have an American credit history, identification or other typical requirements of the account-opening or loan process.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been a lifesaver for many U.S. businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s also required many community banks to make significant adjustments with respect to business practices, roles, budgeting and projections. We spoke to several chief financial officers and other community bank executives about how they are handling these changes.

Creating succession plans for family-owned community banks can be complicated in all sorts of ways, but having hard conversations and setting goals will ensure your family’s pride and joy will continue for years to come.

Whether growing organically or through mergers and acquisitions, even positive change can present challenges. We talked to two community bankers about considerations and issues they’ve noticed as their banks have grown.

From scheduling and information-sharing to bolstered security, board management software could smooth the bumps in the road that come with manual management processes.

When selecting benefits for your executive employees, their wants and needs may differ depending on the state of the market, where they are in life and other factors. Learn how to tune into those needs and retain your top employees.

Risk management is as important a function of community banking as are loans and deposits. But are there better ways of keeping on top of risks that are constantly emerging and changing? Step into our office and find out.