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Preventing Synthetic Identity Fraud
SPONSORED | How regional institutions can originate more accounts while building defenses for digital channels.
How community banks can address cybercrime
Fraud and cyber attacks are on the rise, and at great expense to the industry. Community banks have a choice about addressing the problem: Remain vulnerable or be vigilant. Here are some ideas for...
These Asian-American led banks are helping their communities
May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—and these Asian American-led community banks are adding to that heritage every single day by helping bring dreams within reach.
UDAAP policy update for 2022
With a recent executive push for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to resume its enforcement efforts, we look at how banks can increase prevention, mitigate risk and, most important,...
Taking Bold and Brave Action for Community Banks – with Rebeca Romero Rainey, President and CEO of ICBA
Rebeca Romero Rainey, President and CEO of ICBA, talks with host Charles Potts, Chief Innovation Officer, about how and why ICBA made the decision to stand alone in public opposition to the...
Compliance changes coming this year
Driven by uncertainty around the pandemic, few compliance reforms were realized in 2021. This year, regulators are considering reforms centered on the Community Reinvestment Act, the Fair Housing...
How did compliance change in 2021?
This year has largely been a quiet time for regulatory and compliance reform. But while community banks were focused on the economic recovery of their communities, a few changes came during 2021.
Strategies for fighting remote authentication fraud
As more customers moved online, fraudsters took advantage of new and increasingly inventive opportunities to commit authentication fraud. Experts say community banks can use education, biometrics...
How to do a cybersecurity risk assessment
The way community banks gauge cybersecurity risk is the same as for any other risk, but it’s becoming more important as the industry adopts the latest digital tools and practices. Here’s why...
Tips for a successful PPP audit
Many community banks embraced the Paycheck Protection Program, building new relationships and deepening existing ones. While the onus of forgiveness is on the borrowers, PPP lenders need to be...
Your 2021 physical security assessment checklist
Social distancing measures had a large effect on branch security over the past year. Here’s what to look for when doing a physical security assessment to account for the latest trends in...
What’s a special-purpose credit program?
In an effort to help financial institutions expand access to credit, the CFPB recently addressed regulatory uncertainty around special-purpose credit programs, or SPCPs. These programs are intended...
Stop elder financial abuse with data analytics
Elder financial abuse has been on the rise for the past decade, but so has data analytics technology, which banks can use to fight this fraud. Experts share strategies for community banks to...
Fighting fraud with education
COVID-19 has exacerbated vulnerabilities to fraud. To combat this trend, Tompkins VIST Bank has been delivering valuable education to its small business customers to keep them informed and protected.
The advertising regulations you need to know
Like any business marketing its products and services, a community bank must keep its advertising truthful. There are plenty of regulations specific to financial institutions under the FDIC, CFPB...
Responding to the SolarWinds breach
All institutions, even those with a solid cybersecurity defense, were vulnerable to 2020’s SolarWinds Orion cyberattack. Community banks should be ready for a future cyber event.
The overdraft regulations that you need to know
This past year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) fined a national bank for misinforming its accountholders about its overdraft services fees. A handful of regulations apply to banks...
How community banks serve immigrants
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.
Fraudsters’ latest target? UI benefits
Criminals have stolen more than half a billion dollars by taking advantage of the surge in unemployment claims during the pandemic. Luckily, most of this money has been recovered. Here’s what you...
Safe deposit boxes can have benefits beyond revenue
Safe deposit boxes aren’t big revenue drivers at most community banks, but for some customers, they can be an important service. They provide peace of mind when breaches and hacks have eroded trust...
Why diversity and inclusion matters to regulators
This year, many businesses have prioritized diversity and inclusion. But what are regulatory agencies doing to track and enforce diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the financial industry?
7 best practices to help avoid audit missteps
An audit tells a community bank whether it’s adhering to regulations and objectives. However, a lack of preparation and poor scoping techniques, among other factors, can lead to wasted time. Here’s...
What you can do now to prepare for CECL
Community banks won’t have to implement current expected credit losses, or CECL, standards until 2023, but it’s never too early to start getting ready. Here’s what industry experts say you should...
How branch security is catching up with branch design
As the design of the branch has advanced, so, too, have the measures that community banks use to keep their branches secure.
How your bank can fight first-party fraud
First-party fraud puts banks in the tough position of deciding which account applicants are synthetic and which are real. But experts agree that there are ways to can use technology and...
Preventing and detecting mortgage fraud
Many compliance functions are needed to detect mortgage fraud, from FACTA and FCRA to the SAFE Act. Here’s a look at the requirements.
How your bank should handle consumer complaints
It’s important for community banks to understand and respond to customer complaints. But what should a complaint program include, and how might complaint data be an opportunity to improve your...
How your bank can stay compliant on social media
It’s common for community banks to have a presence on one, two or up to half a dozen social media platforms to engage with customers. But what does being an active social media user mean for...
Protect your bank from remote deposit capture risks
Despite the advancements of today’s banking industry, checks remain a common part of the customer experience, and remote deposit capture (RDC) has followed. What risk management strategies should...
Five steps to building an effective deposit strategy plan
SPONSORED | Building an effective deposit strategy plan is an integral tool to acquiring new, and retaining existing, deposits. Here are the five steps for designing, organizing and implementing a...
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.
Focus: The Right to Financial Privacy Act
What community bankers need to know about protecting and disclosing customers’ financial records.
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...
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...
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?
Scott Anchin: How to Prevent Wire Fraud
With electronic payments increasingly the norm, wire fraud is becoming more common and varied in format.
How One Bank Tackled Online Gambling Friendly Fraud
A fraud case at Williamstown Bank sheds light on how community banks can combat rising online gaming “friendly fraud” claims and navigate Regulation E compliance hurdles.
The Most Notable 2025 Audit Updates So Far
A change in government leadership has led to adjustments in how examiners conduct audits. Learn what experts are seeing at a bank level.