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Introducing the 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator finalists
The 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator spotlighted some of the most innovative fintech providers. We asked this year’s cohort how community banks can harness today’s technologies and solutions to...
40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders in 2022
Our fourth annual 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders competition highlights the achievements of young community bankers across the nation, who are leading the charge on the future of...
Rebeca Romero Rainey: The power of discussion
Healthy debate helps us achieve an outcome where we’re all pushed to think beyond what might be readily in front of us.
Brad M. Bolton: Educating future leaders
Focusing on the ‘whys’ helps employees see how decisions fit together in a perfect puzzle for high-performing success, and it motivates them to be contributors to that success.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Focus on the light
While our decisions over the past year have been driven even more by our mission than by our bottom lines, we’ve also achieved good results.
Robert Fisher: Committing to being in the moment
Let’s collectively commit to being more present in all of our interactions. It won’t be long until we recognize what a true gift that is to ourselves and those we serve.
Lindsay LaNore: Moving from idea to implementation
Terms like ideation and innovation have become buzzwords in our industry, but it takes great leaders to translate exciting ideas into real value.
9 tips for smooth succession planning
Community bankers and other experts are using succession planning to benefit the entire institution through better communication, recruiting and planning. Here are their tips for finding the best...
Lindsay LaNore: The great brainstorming session
If your bank is entering a new market, offering a new product or service, or establishing a new process, brainstorming is a tool that can help set you on the right trajectory.
Robert Fisher: Who sits at your table?
Working with a community bank is like being welcomed into the fold, and that’s why we choose our partners with care.
Robert Fisher: Education is the foundation
Educated customers form stronger relationships with their community banks. They are more likely to repay loans, live within their means and maintain higher balances.
Robert Fisher: A legacy of good
It’s our responsibility to help make our communities better places to live, to help pull people out of poverty and address issues they’re facing.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Engaging with talent
The people we employ embody our banks, and the personal relationships our teams forge with our customers make us unique in the industry and keep our customers returning.
Lindsay LaNore: Lake rules for the workplace
Rules are the principles that govern conduct within an organization, and they can extend well beyond perfect attendance and dress codes.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Use your voice
[There is a] need for strong voices to weigh in on how new regulation will affect our communities and the customers we serve.
Robert Fisher: What it means to be a community bank
This is our moment to communicate just what it means to be a community bank.
CFOs reveal how they’re budgeting for change
In 2020, we spoke to community bank CFOs about how they were planning amid pandemic-related uncertainties. In 2021, we talked again to many of these executives to get their take on how things went...
Lindsay LaNore: The power of “I don’t know”
In the fast-moving world of social messaging, the phrase “I don’t know” has its own abbreviation. The very existence of “IDK” suggests that the state of not knowing—and being willing to admit...
Robert Fisher: Accelerating ahead
In today’s marketplace, we can’t be afraid to experiment and fail. Let’s embrace some out-of-the-box, entrepreneurial thinking to attack our problem areas.
Chief risk officers on how they manage today’s risks
The more community banks grow, the more risk they take on. Chief risk officers are the ones behind the scenes making growth possible. Four CROs sound off on their increasingly important role within...
Lindsay LaNore: Time for a check-in
Employees thrive when they receive regular, constructive feedback. Some experts suggest that having additional midyear or quarterly check-ins can be more effective than traditional annual reviews...
Robert Fisher: Lead with integrity
One of my early mentors told me, ‘It’s often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.’ That piece of advice has … allowed us to be a little more progressive as a bank.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Staying the course
We must work to remain optimistic in the face of adversity and keep in mind that no matter how difficult that feat may be, it’s worth the effort.
ICBA’s best-performing community banks of 2020
Independent Banker’s annual listing of America’s best-performing community banks shows that nimble thinking and an adherence to good old-fashioned customer service can bring success, whatever the...
ICBA’s 2021/22 executive committee: Close the distance
The 2021/22 ICBA executive committee understands that community banks are at a turning point due to changing customer expectations and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They tell us why...
40 Under 40: 2021’s Emerging Community Bank Leaders
Our third annual 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders competition highlights young community bankers who stepped up to help their banks navigate a chaotic year.
Lindsay LaNore: Making effective meetings
Meetings are a great opportunity to reinforce a team’s collective identity and establish a leader’s personal presence. They also offer participants a chance to find their voices. When organized and...
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Lead with purpose
Our approach to service is not about checking something off the list for today. It’s about making incremental positive change over time.
Robert Fisher: Creating strong culture
Culture is more than just how bank staff interact with one another; it’s about how we convey who we are to our customers.
ICBA’s 2021/22 executive committee: Close the distance (part 2)
These online-exclusive interviews with the 2021/22 ICBA executive members gets their thoughts on their goals, on innovation at their banks, and on effective advocacy.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Focusing on our communities
Unlike our credit union counterparts, we pay taxes, and those tax dollars are spent at home to ensure our communities grow.
Robert Fisher: The importance of engagement
In today’s climate, our voices are vital not only to the future of financial services, but to the millions of small businesses and consumers who depend upon us.
New ICBA chairman Robert Fisher is in the driver’s seat
Faced with the unexpected and unexplainable, it’s hard to stay on course. But Robert Fisher is an expert at just that. ICBA’s next chairman is ready to help community banks and the customers they...
Noah Wilcox: Committed to community
Despite everything, we remain a thriving network of community banks, united in our common passion for and commitment to our communities.
What to expect at ICBA Connect
ICBA Connect is your moment to relax, reflect and recharge. This virtual event will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. Community bankers all over the country will come together, be inspired and...
Lindsay LaNore: Boost your connections
Connection is about creating relationships and having respectful and authentic conversations that go beyond the surface. Creating meaningful connection starts with being friendly and genuine,...
Noah Wilcox: It’s all about connection
I hope to see you virtually at ICBA Connect. For community bankers, it’s all about that connection.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: You make an impact
From your focus on people to the good that you do, you make a lasting impact, and that’s what makes you uniquely who you are.
Noah Wilcox: Stay positive
To succeed in this environment, we must focus on the things we can control and remain positive, and that’s become my daily mantra.
Noah Wilcox: A year that defined community banks
It’s time to look toward the future, and I encourage you to hold onto this bigger-picture perspective to propel our communities out of this crisis.