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Rebeca Romero Rainey: Battling the Many Faces of Fraud, Together
When it comes to fraud, we are being hit on all fronts with scams that range from the very basic to the most sophisticated.
Out of Office: Brad Henion
The executive vice president and chief lending officer at $4.4 billion-asset ChoiceOne Bank in Sparta, Michigan, has trained hunting dogs for decades.
How Bridge Loans Can Bolster Your Mortgage Offerings
In a complex real estate environment, these community banks are providing bridge loans and other offerings to supplement their mortgage services.
The Secret to Engaging Customers Through Podcasts
With the popularity of podcasts, these community banks are riding the sound waves. Learn how they plan and produce episodes and build up engaged audiences.
Mickey Marshall: Why National Trust Bank Charters Sparked a Growing Policy Fight
Fintech and crypto firms continue to seek out trust charters for deposit-like products, raising policy questions and competitive risks for community banks.
MainStreet Bank Empowers the Community, One Employee At a Time
Through its Making Change program, MainStreet Bank implores its employees to engage in and contribute to community work.
ICBA Certification Q&A: Susan McLaughlin
As a certified community bank internal auditor (CCBIA), Susan McLaughlin shares how internal auditors play a vital role in community banking.
Jack E. Hopkins: Employing a Multilayered Cybersecurity Approach
Cybersecurity keeps me up at night.
Powering Potential: How ICBA's Letters Influence Congress
Here’s how ICBA uses letters to try to influence Congress.
Digital Banking for the Modern Age
For community banks, digital transformation has moved from an industry colloquialism to a punch list reality.
Strategic Loan Modifications That Work
When a customer gets into trouble with loan payments, a modification is sometimes the easiest way to help them get back on track.
BayCoast Bank Helps Craft a Playhouse Fit for a Princess
In June 2023, BayCoast Bank in Swansea, Massachusetts, joined forces with a network of community partners to create a playhouse for a young girl with life-limiting medical challenges.
Managing Third-Party Fintech Risk
No matter how much effort your community bank puts into compliance, a third party can still put the bank at risk. Learn how to keep partners in check and ensure they’re compliant with regulations,...
Free IT Assessment for Banks—Limited-Time Offer
Banks: Get a free, expert-led IT assessment covering firewalls, MFA, email security, and more. Reduce risk, boost compliance, and plan for growth. Offer ends December 31, 2025. See if you qualify...
Rising Concerns Over National Bank Trust Charters
Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed an alarming upsurge in the number of nonbank financial technology firms applying for national bank trust charters.
Streamlining Social Media for Community Banks
Don’t have a dedicated social media person? No problem. New tools and an inclusive approach make your community bank’s social presence simpler to establish and maintain.
Personalization Strategies, Driven by Community Bank Data
By exploring and analyzing data-driven customer insights, community banks can enhance their personalization efforts to deliver proactive solutions with enhanced trust.
The Anatomy of a Rate-Cut Cycle
Examine the current Fed cycle versus the past to inform portfolio strategy.
Succession Planning Essentials for Family Banks
Creating succession plans for family-owned community banks can be complicated in all sorts of ways.
Evaluating Credit Card Rewards in Modern Banking
Younger generations prefer debit to credit, but consumers’ appetite for card rewards is still strong. Learn how your community bank can integrate rewards as part of its payments strategy.
Safeguarding Borrower Data
The HPPA curbs trigger leads and reinforces the trust at the heart of community banking.
Inviting Questions to Spark Better Conversations
We all know how powerful curiosity can be. Every great leader knows that inviting feedback and questions from their team can be a highly collaborative and productive process.
Customer Experience Through Strategic Innovation
Recent research from FICO shows that 88% of bank customers say experience is as important as or more important than products and services.
Making Homeownership Achievable, Together
Prospective homebuyers today might feel like the odds are stacked against them as they face increasing costs, market challenges and other socioeconomic barriers.
Ozark Bank Offers Custom Solutions for Nonprofit Partners
From lease-purchase solutions to crisis support, Ozark Bank shows how tailored financial services help local nonprofits and municipalities thrive.
Strengthening Franchise Value: Community Banks’ Growing Use of Reciprocal Deposits
In an environment where deposit competition is intensifying and customer concerns about deposit safety remain top of mind, reciprocal deposits have emerged as a vital tool for community banks.
Understanding the Opportunities and Concerns for Agentic AI
Here’s what you need to know about the newest form of AI, known as agentic AI.
Up-and-Coming Bank Technology: Separating Innovation from Hype
Community bankers, fintech experts and consultants alike are keeping their finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest technology—with the goal of understanding what’s useful and what’s...
Out of Office: John and Lou Buhrmaster
John Buhrmaster, chief executive officer at 1st National Bank of Scotia in Scotia, New York, shares how he and his father, chairman Lou Buhrmaster, have a unique connection to vintage taxi cabs.
Powering Potential: Maximize Your Social Media Impact
ICBA’s marketing resources, education programs and compliance tools provide community bankers with strategic social media solutions and regulatory guidance to amplify their online presence.
Community State Bank Brews Up Coffee and Community
Community State Bank and Shepherds College united to create Shepherds Community Café, a donation-based coffee shop that fosters occupational experience for students with different needs.
Fraud Moves Fast. Are You Keeping Up?
Fraud flows across entire financial ecosystems. Without a unified approach, you risk operating with the same limited visibility that fraudsters exploit.
Charles Potts: The Importance of Curiosity
What makes an innovation leader? By its very nature, innovation doesn’t conform to a particular series of checkboxes, yet all innovation-focused leaders exemplify one critical trait: curiosity.
How Banks Can Approach Cannabis Compliance
For community banks that are interested in or are already working with cannabis-related businesses, understanding compliance guidelines surrounding that sector is vital. We spoke with experts on...
Charles Potts: The Myth, Lure and Reality of AI
AI has become more advanced, but in a cost-effective manner, making it available to the masses.
Q&A: Computer-Security Incident Notifications
To prevent cyber incidents, new computer-security incident notification requirements were established in late 2021, changing the way community banks need to react in case of a cybersecurity event.
Minnesota's First Black-Owned Bank
In 2022, Detroit-based First Independence Bank became the first Black-owned bank to open a branch in Minnesota, with the goal of creating greater economic prospects for underserved people.
How Community Banks Can Better Protect Their ATMs
Branches aren’t the only bank properties that bad actors target. The number of ATM robberies is steadily increasing, and your security around them should, too.
Tompkins Community Bank Nurtures Youth Programs
Tompkins Community Bank has a long history of helping fund youth programs, making a difference in the lives of future leaders, game changers and creatives.
Derek Williams: A Show of Support
By supporting the people and businesses we know and understand, we are supporting our employees and our shareholders, and making our communities better places to live.
Why FedNow isn't a Payments App
FedNow launches this month. That’s why it’s critical that community bankers understand the payments rail and how it differs from widely used payment apps.
A Risk Management Clinic for Community Bankers
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...
8 Ways to Improve a Customer's Digital Banking Experience
Your customers expect a lot from your website, your app and other digital experiences. But how can community banks focus on what will really be useful to customers, rather than the latest shiny...
Who are ICBA's Top Lenders of 2023?
In an uncertain economic environment, community banks have continued to make smart lending decisions that help individuals and businesses in their communities. Here are 2023's most successful loan...
How Cloud Banking Benefits Customers
Customers don’t often see the inner workings of how cloud technology simplifies the banking process, but they can certainly experience the perks that come with it.
How to See the Value of Customer Complaints
No one likes customer complaints, but they can provide a wealth of information that can improve both your community bank and your customers’ experience.
How Community Banks Can Fight Synthetic Identity Fraud
Community banks need to be on the lookout for synthetic identity fraud, a growing problem since the pandemic. Here’s how tools and solutions can detect, prevent and solve this type of fraud
Jim Reber: Returns, in Total
A wide range of market prices requires analysis.
Lindsay LaNore: How to Work the Room
These days, we do a lot of our networking online via forums like LinkedIn, but they’re no match for meeting in person.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Cultivate Lasting Success
Preparing for the future is not as much about filling a particular job description as it is about creating a conscious path for our banks and communities.
Step-by-Step Succession Planning for Community Banks
Community bankers and other experts offer a guide to succession planning that'll ensure a seamless transition and future success for the bank and its customers for years to come.
John Coleman: Make the Most of the August Congressional Recess
When members of Congress return home during congressional recess, it’s a great opportunity for community bankers to engage with them over policy—with the right preparation.
Texas First Bank Lends a Helping Hand
When a tornado struck their community in January, employees of Texas First Bank in Pasadena, Texas, joined forces with a local Jersey Mike’s and Orangetheory Fitness to hand out free lunches to...
Loren Brown: Above it All
The president and chief executive officer of $88 million-asset Ascent Bank in Helena, Mont., has fulfilled his childhood dream of being a pilot and skydiver.
Derek Williams: The Meaning of a True Leader
In an industry overwhelmed with financial performance and earnings, community banks shine by focusing on what matters: the people and communities they serve.
Paid Marketing: A Boost for Your Community Bank
In a changing marketing landscape, the benefits provided by ultra-targeted online campaigns with budgets behind them are more valuable than ever.
Smart Strategies for Community Bank Construction Lending
Community banks take on a large amount of risk when it comes to construction lending. But by doing their due diligence, applying the right strategies and connecting with their customers, banks can...
Bankers Trust Illustrates a Love of Art
Bankers Trust in Des Moines, Iowa, hosts a gallery of artwork created by local artists and rotates each piece through its branches.
Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust and the Road to Succession
Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust’s succession planning professionals have built up their expertise to better serve the community bank’s retail business customers.
Compliance Vault: The Ultimate Compliance Resource
With a vast library of Q&As, select online courses and informational documents, Compliance Vault is a valuable resource for all your regulatory compliance questions.