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Portfolio and Loan-Level Stress Testing: Be Proactive & Examiner-Ready
Banks should consider easier and more affordable methods to conduct both portfolio- and loan-level stress testing for more comprehensive risk management.
Is Your Bank Compliant With New Email Authentication Rules?
Recent updates regarding email standards will require additional oversight from community banks to ensure customers receive important email communications.
Charles Potts: Tackling Fraud With Technology
For years, community banks have made digital transformation a priority.
Will AI Supercharge Regtech for Community Banks?
By harnessing artificial intelligence’s power, regtech has greater potential to streamline regulatory compliance and offer cost savings for community banks that use it, say experts.
3 Major Community Bank Compliance Challenges (and Solutions)
The regulatory compliance burden is a big and growing consideration for community banks. Thankfully, there are plenty of techniques and resources for keeping on top of this ever-changing task.
6 Things to Consider Before Opening a New Branch
A new branch can present new opportunities for community banks—if you plan thoroughly and calculate the risk involved.
How To Assess Your Community Bank's Physical Security Risk
Evaluate your community bank’s zones, employees and strategies to ensure your physical security is strong enough to dissuade criminals.
Navigating Compliance in Cannabis Banking
With potential regulatory guidance for cannabis banking on the horizon, these community banks are positioning themselves strongly and safely within this growing industry.
Keeping in Line With Equal Lending Practices
Regulators continue to crack down on unfair lending practices and redlining.
Could Freelancers Solve Your Bank's Staffing Problems?
During staff shortages, leaves and short-term projects, freelancers can fulfill the needs of your community bank in a variety of areas and concentrations.
Fine Tuning the Fine Print for Bank Disclosures
As regulators continue to go through financial institution messaging with a fine-tooth comb, community banks must be diligent about maintaining best compliance and regulatory practices.
Securing Your Cloud Banking Network
Cloud banking is rising in popularity. And as with every new technology, community bankers must learn how to limit risk and secure the platform to protect bank customers and their data.
Generative AI Fraud: How to Fight It
Generative AI allows fraudsters to easily impersonate real people and makes phishing emails even harder to detect—but your community bank can still dodge these attacks by staying vigilant.
Lance Noggle: New ICBA Resource Aims To Combat Check Fraud
Even with checks becoming less common to use, check fraud continues to rise. To address this issue, ICBA has created a guide that explains how to stop this type of fraud in its tracks.
4 CFPB Rules to Watch for This Year
From limitations on fee practices to personal financial data rights, these proposed and final Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules could have a significant impact on the community bank industry.
RESPA and HMDA Violations: What to Know
In the second half of 2023, the CFPB penalized Freedom Mortgage for violating both RESPA and HMDA. Here’s what community banks need to know about complying with these acts.
Law Firm Evaluation for Community Banks
Community banks need to maintain a healthy relationship with their legal representatives, especially when it’s through a third party.
Community Banks' Best Defense Against Ransomware
Ransomware incidents are skyrocketing, and while banks are less likely to be hit, that doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels. Constant vigilance is key.
Update: Check Re-Presentment Guidance
Check re-presentment fees have resulted in violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act for some banks. Will updated guidance from the federal regulators make things clearer?
Schooling Customers on Student Loan Fraud
With student loan payments recently unpaused, cybercriminals have new ways of scamming banks and their customers. Here’s what community banks and their customers need to know.
Check Fraud: 3 Ways to Stop It in Its Tracks
Among ransomware and cyberattacks, it’s important not to forget about old-fashioned fraud—namely, check fraud. As incidents of this type of fraud increase, experts explain how to prevent and...
Community Banks' Regulatory Guidance for Third-Party Relationships
Earlier this year, federal bank regulatory agencies released final guidance on third-party risk management for financial institutions. Here’s what community banks need to know.
Tech Solutions That Can Help Stop Elder Fraud
Elder financial abuse is a rising crime across the country. Using technology, community bankers can help detect this type of fraud and protect their customers.
An Update on Data Protection Regulations
Last year, the CFPB issued an advisory opinion on privacy protection for personal data compiled from community banks. Here’s what you need to know.
How Community Banks Can Cut Down Data Privacy Threats
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
Member Benefits: Tips for IT Outsourcing
For community banks that are considering or are already working with a third-party IT vendor, ICBA’s IT Outsourcing Toolkit has a collection of resources that address the process and considerations.
Generative AI in Community Banking: What's the Risk?
Generative AI, such as ChatGPT and Jasper, is growing and evolving rapidly. How can community banks leverage this technology while avoiding scams?
Leveling Up: How Community Banks Should Navigate Asset Size Growth Thresholds
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...
How Technology Can Simplify Banks' Workflow
As compliance obligations mount, community bankers reveal the benefits regtech brings to their banks and offer tips for finding the right partners.
How to Streamline Balance Sheet Risk Management
Balance sheet risk management is a constantly evolving area. Luckily for community bankers, new tools are being created in turn to help optimize the process.
Tips for Better Community Bank CMS Testing
By understanding and leveraging compliance management system testing, community banks can limit potential risk.
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...
Let's define 'unfair, deceptive or absuive'
More than its predecessors, the Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices can be a murky regulation for compliance officers. How well do you know the ins and outs of UDAAP?
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?
Creative Solutions for Fortifying ATM Defenses
Faced with continued ATM security theft and threats, community banks and vendors are banding together to share creative strategies and bolster ATM defenses.