ICBA Newsroom
The ICBA Newsroom collects and centralizes all the NewsWatch Today articles, press releases, Main Street Matters blogs, advocacy letters and other news that impacts community bankers.
Lindsay LaNore: How to Bridge Gaps With Fellow Employees
How Marketing Can Win Over the C-Suite
Getting buy-in from the C-suite is essential in all facets of the bank, including marketing. Here are tips for how to get executives and the marketing team working toward the same goals.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Growing the Community
Kari Mitchum: The Fedwire Transitions to ISO 20022
What community banks need to know about the Fedwire ISO 20022 switch.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Advocacy
Out of Office: Richard Thiessens
The EVP and chief technology officer at $746 million-asset FinWise Bank in Murray, Utah, makes his own wine, cider and mead.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Renovation Lending: The Solution to a Tough Mortgage Market?
With many prospective and first-time homebuyers buying fixer-uppers, community banks can tap into a new market to supplement their mortgage and construction portfolios.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Lending
Tips for Winning the Retail Banking Game
Technology continues to evolve, and community banks must do the same. To cater to and better support young, tech-savvy customers, these local banks are partnering with fintechs to revamp their retail banking offerings.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Why Your Community Bank Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan
Community banks like Countybank face and overcome challenges every day, but what about the events banks don’t expect? Natural disasters can be devastating, which is why it’s important to have a business continuity plan in place and know where to find support in the aftermath.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Powering Potential: Marketing Made Easier for Your Community Bank
The ICBA Marketing Resource Center delivers dynamic, evolving resources that can help you save time, elevate your messaging and win over current and prospective customers.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Growing the Community
Streamline Your Bank’s Appraisal and Vendor Management with ValuTrac
SPONSORED | Tired of juggling spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls to manage appraisals and vendors? ValuTrac offers a unified workspace that transforms how banks manage their appraisal and valuation processes
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Lending
IT MSP, Integris, Reveals Top IT Trends for the Second Year in New Report, “Understanding US Banks’ Annual IT Spend in 2025”
SPONSORED | Discover where banks stand on technology in 2025! Our survey of 1,000+ bank executives reveals IT’s growing role, key infrastructure needs, cybersecurity concerns, and economic impacts. Compare insights from 2024 and see what’s ahead. Get the full report today!
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Payments
Loan Pricing strategies: Don’t let your bank become a Castaway.
SPONSORED | With rapidly changing market conditions, your bank could easily find itself isolated like Tom Hanks in Castaway, on a desert island alone. Overlooking your biggest resource to build a raft to freedom, can make escaping your island impossible.
March 01, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Lending Payments
With CFPB in spotlight, ICBA urging grassroots outreach on overdraft rule
With Washington focused on reforming the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ICBA is calling on community bankers to tell their members of Congress to support legislative efforts to stop the bureau's overdraft rule.
February 28, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
McKernan, Pulte vow to streamline CFPB, FHFA activities
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will center its regulation on real risks to consumers and focus its enforcement on bad actors, CFPB director nominee Jonathan McKernan told Congress.
February 28, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
Bowman: Rightsized regulations key to bright community banking future
The future of community banking is bright as long as regulators focus on appropriate regulations and guidance and recognize that investment in innovation and growth is a necessity, not a roadblock, according to Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman.
February 28, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
ICBA opposes consolidation of banking regulators
ICBA said it opposes calls from Wall Street bank executives and others to consolidate the nation’s banking regulators.
February 27, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Agencies/Regulators
ICBA: Stablecoin legislation must protect role of community banks
ICBA told Congress that any legislation establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins must address stablecoin risks without disintermediating community banks.
February 27, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Digital Assets
ICBA continuing grassroots push on CFPB overdraft rule
ICBA continues calling on community bankers to tell their members of Congress to support legislative efforts to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overdraft rule.
February 27, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
ICBA Statement Opposing Consolidation of the Nation’s Banking Regulators
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement opposing the consolidation of the nation’s banking regulators.
February 26, 2025 |
Press Release
Compliance
Independent Banker: How community banks are fighting AI-powered elder fraud
Community banks are working to combat fraudsters using artificial intelligence to target seniors, according to the latest Independent Banker magazine.
February 26, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Fraud
Romero Rainey: ICBA letter to Trump administration key to reform push
ICBA’s recent letter urging the Trump administration to advance several needed reforms is essential to supporting community banks while avoiding unintended consequences, ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said this week.
February 26, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Government Banks
ICBA Strongly Supports Bipartisan ACRE Act Offering Lower-Cost Credit to Rural Americans
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today expressed strong support for the Senate introduction of the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act to support farmers, ranchers, and rural homeowners.
February 26, 2025 |
Press Release
Agriculture Lending Agriculture Rural Development
Community bank net income declines in Q4
Community bank net income fell 6.5% in the fourth quarter and was down 2.4% in 2024 from the previous year, according to the FDIC’s latest Quarterly Banking Profile.
February 26, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
ICBA urges Trump administration to advance pro-community bank reforms
ICBA urged the Trump administration to advance key policies under its “Repair, Reform, and Thrive” plan to continue advancing policies that support community banks.
February 24, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
ICBA urging grassroots outreach to stop CFPB overdraft rule
ICBA is calling on community bankers to tell their members of Congress to support legislative efforts to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overdraft rule.
February 24, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
ICBA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service partner to combat check fraud
ICBA announced a partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to combat the threat of check fraud.
February 24, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Fraud
ICBA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service partner to combat check fraud
ICBA announced a partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to combat the threat of check fraud.
February 21, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Fraud
ICBA urging community banker outreach on stopping CFPB overdraft rule
ICBA is calling on community bankers to tell their members of Congress to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overdraft rule.
February 21, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
Latest ILC application brings total pending bids to three
With auto company Stellantis last week applying to form an industrial loan company in Utah, the number of pending ILC applications now stands at three.
February 21, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
New op-ed urges Illinois lawmakers to rethink credit union tax exemption
A new op-ed from Community Bankers Association of Illinois Chairman David Stanton calls on policymakers to tax credit unions like every other business in the state.
February 20, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Credit Unions
ICBA and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Partner to Help Community Banks Combat Check Fraud
The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced a partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to combat the threat of check fraud.
February 20, 2025 |
Press Release
Fraud Postal Service Banking
FinCEN: BOI reporting requirements back in effect with extended deadline
Following a court decision, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced that beneficial ownership information reporting requirements are back in effect, with a new deadline of March 21 for most companies.
February 20, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
FinCEN
Trump directs independent agencies to run proposals through White House
President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring independent agencies to submit rules to the White House before publishing them in the Federal Register.
February 20, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Agencies/Regulators
Independent Banker: ICBA speaks out against one-size-fits-all regulations
The latest Independent Banker magazine details how ICBA is advocating for threshold changes that would lighten community banks’ regulatory burden.
February 19, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Hood: OCC will push to include credit union data in merger reviews
Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood said he wants to revisit how credit unions affect regulatory reviews of bank mergers, as advocated by ICBA.
February 19, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
OCC
ICBA, farm groups continue to urge support of crop insurance
Farm and rural groups joined ICBA in urging the new leaders of the Agriculture Department and Office of Management and Budget to protect crop insurance from harmful cuts that would undermine U.S. farmers and ranchers and rural economies.
February 19, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Agriculture
New blog post offers steps to a smooth ISO 20022 transition
After the Federal Reserve delayed the Fedwire Funds Service’s conversion to the ISO 20022 message format until July 14, a new ICBA blog post spotlights resources to help community banks prepare.
February 18, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Federal Reserve
ICBA supports resolutions to scrap CFPB overdraft rule
ICBA expressed support for a new congressional effort to invalidate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final rule on overdraft protection programs, saying it is a deeply flawed and harmful rule.
February 18, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB
ICBA: Community banks need be integral part of cyber incident response
ICBA commended the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s efforts to create a better framework for responding to significant cyber incidents, but said community banks need to be an integral part of a coordinated cyber defense plan.
February 18, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Cybersecurity
How Community Banks Are Fighting AI-Powered Elder Fraud
Generative AI has made scamming vulnerable people alarmingly simple. Banks must raise awareness among their senior customers of the dangers and help build financial security.
February 18, 2025 |
Independent Banker
Compliance
Romero Rainey: Community bank-focused hearings show ICBA message is resonating
Last week’s simultaneous congressional hearings featuring ICBA witnesses spotlighted the industry’s policy priorities while demonstrating that community banks are being heard in Washington, ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey wrote in a new op-ed.
February 14, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Deadline today to register to speak during EGRPRA meeting
Community bankers interested in speaking during the next Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act regulatory review must register by today.
February 14, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
EGRPRA s.2155
Report: Romance scams grew 40% in 2024
Revenue from romance scams—also known as “pig butchering”—grew 40% last year and accounted for more than a third of all crypto-related scams, according to a report by Chainalysis.
February 14, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Digital Assets
Romero Rainey: Community bank-focused hearings show ICBA message is resonating
Last week’s simultaneous congressional hearings featuring ICBA witnesses spotlighted the industry’s policy priorities while demonstrating that community banks are being heard in Washington, ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey wrote in a new op-ed.
February 13, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
ICBA: Any changes to regulatory structure require community bank input
ICBA said any change to the structure of the nation’s banking agencies must involve careful study and input from all stakeholders, including community banks.
February 13, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Agencies/Regulators
Deadline tomorrow to register to speak during EGRPRA meeting
Community bankers interested in speaking during the next Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act regulatory review must register by tomorrow, Feb. 14.
February 13, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
EGRPRA s.2155
ICBA Congratulates Jonathan McKernan on CFPB Director Nomination
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Jonathan McKernan to serve as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
February 12, 2025 |
Press Release
CFPB
ICBA Congratulates Jonathan Gould on Comptroller of the Currency Nomination
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Johnathan Gould to serve as comptroller of the currency.
February 12, 2025 |
Press Release
OCC
ICBA Statement on Media Reports of CFPB Actions, Banking Agency Consolidation
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on media reports related to actions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and potential consolidation of banking regulators.
February 12, 2025 |
Press Release
CFPB
SEC reverses course on ICBA-opposed climate rule
Acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mark Uyeda said his agency will seek to freeze court proceedings in a legal challenge to its final rule requiring climate-related investor disclosures, citing his opposition to the rule.
February 12, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Climate
ICBA weighs in on stablecoin debate
ICBA told Congress that current stablecoin arrangements are not subject to comprehensive supervision and lack many critical consumer and anti-money laundering protections—a regulatory gap that allows risks to the financial system to multiply, provides opportunities for financial crimes, and creates an unequal playing field with highly regulated community banks.
February 12, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Digital Assets
Powell: No CBDC while he leads the Fed
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the U.S. will never have a central bank digital currency as long as he leads the Fed.
February 12, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Federal Reserve
Independent Banker features ICBA Minority Bank Advisory Council insights
The latest edition of Independent Banker magazine provides insights on minority depository institutions from ICBA’s Minority Bank Advisory Council.
February 11, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
ICBA CRA Solutions Selects Ncontracts for Community Bank Compliance Offering
ICBA CRA Solutions, an ICBA subsidiary, announced a strategic alliance with Ncontracts, which provides integrated vendor, risk, and compliance management solutions to help community banks address Community Reinvestment Act requirements using precise, actionable insights.
February 11, 2025 |
Press Release
McKernan leaving FDIC
FDIC Director Jonathan McKernan announced he was stepping aside from the FDIC board of directors.
February 11, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
FDIC
ICBA releases customizable language addressing depositor concerns
With some community bank customers inquiring about the security of their bank deposits amid government efforts related to federal spending and bureaucracy, ICBA released customizable language its members can use to answer customer questions.
February 11, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Deposit Operations
CFPB’s 1071 rule again paused by court in ICBA case
A U.S. court of appeals temporarily paused the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 1071 small-business rule and extended its compliance deadlines until further notice, as advocated by ICBA.
February 10, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
CFPB Compliance
ICBA releases customizable language addressing depositor concerns
With some community bank customers inquiring about the security of their bank deposits amid government efforts related to federal spending and bureaucracy, ICBA released customizable language its members can use to answer customer questions.
February 10, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Deposit Insurance Deposit Operations
ICBA Statement on Rodney Hood’s Appointment as Acting Comptroller of the Currency
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on the appointment of Rodney Hood to serve as acting comptroller of the currency.
February 08, 2025 |
Press Release
OCC
ICBA Thanks Russell Vought for Serving as Acting CFPB Director
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s designation of Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
February 08, 2025 |
Press Release
CFPB
ICBA’s congressional testimonies available
Recordings and full text of the testimonies ICBA leaders provided this week on Capitol Hill are available online.
February 07, 2025 |
ICBA NewsWatch Today
Congressional Matters
Independent Banker
Independent Banker is the award-winning monthly member publication of ICBA. Continually rated the best news source by community bankers, IB provides timely, relevant information and insights to help community banks continue to flourish.
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