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Paid social media's place in your marketing strategy
As social media platforms tinker with algorithms, marketing experts say one trend is clear: Paid social campaigns are becoming increasingly necessary to cut through the noise and reach customers....
Rebeca Romero Rainey: The spirit of innovation
A spirit of innovation and can-do attitude will serve you well this year, helping you remain ahead of the curve and address issues that arise.
Lindsay LaNore: Revisiting recruitment
There’s much talk these days about talent acquisition and retention, with the three Rs—Recruit, Retain and Reward—taking center stage. Let’s start the year by looking at Recruit.
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...
Out of Office: Chrissy Neff
Chrissy Neff, a digital systems administrator at $1 billion-asset Bank of Clarke County in Berryville, Va., adopted her first pet goat in 2018 and has since expanded her farm family to three...
The power of a CDFI
First Southwest Bank is carving out new business models to address a need for credit and financial services through nonprofit lending programs and software that leverages its community development...
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...
Robert Fisher: The nimbleness of community bankers
Let’s rediscover what it means to be community bankers. Let’s exercise our nimble natures to exceed customer expectations. Because as community bankers, it’s what we do.
Charles Potts: Challenging the status quo
ICBA has preached the importance of innovation, not as a project or something to silo inside a department but as an inclusive cultural and philosophical endeavor that should be part of an...
Jim Reber: Supply chain histrionics
To start the year, here are my thoughts on the municipal bond market.
Aaron Stetter: Nonstop advocacy
ICBA stands at the ready to protect the franchise value of the nation’s community banks and develop tools to empower them to speak up and be heard.
2021’s Best Community Banks to Work For
This year’s winners do everything in their power to keep their community bankers happy and fulfilled. We asked both leaders and staffers to tell us what makes their community banks stand out as...
Beneficial State Bank’s financial activism
The idea that community banking can be a force for positive change is at the heart of Beneficial State Bank, which engages its customers through financial activism.
New Era of Consumer Engagement by Mladen Vladic
Over the past 18 months, the marketplace has experienced huge disruptions. The world has changed, and so have consumers. In fact. 75% of consumers have changed their spending habits since early 2020.
Evaluate New Core Providers With Successful Vendor Management
SPONSORED | When selecting a new core provider, there are critical conversations that need to happen before signing a contract. Here are some discussion points for successful vendor management.
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.
Charles Potts: 2021: A year of awakening
Community bankers’ awakening to new possibilities has made for an impactful year and will help position community banks to flourish in 2022 and beyond.
Inside the evolving roles of community bank tellers
Today’s tellers meet very different customer needs than they did just a decade ago. In the wake of trends like falling in-branch transactions and rising digital services, some community banks are...
Strategies for finding the diverse board members you need
Community banks need to plan for the future, and that can mean looking outside of familiar business circles for potential board members. Here are some strategies for finding diverse board members...
The community banks standing by hospitality customers
Many hotels and other hospitality businesses haven’t fully bounced back from COVID-19 travel and safety restrictions, but community banks have been by their side through the challenges. Luckily,...
Michael Emancipator: The case against the Section 1071 proposal
The CFPB’s proposed rule to implement Section 1071 would add a burdensome and costly reporting requirement onto all community bank small business lenders.
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...
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...
Partners in Fraud Prevention – A Conversation with Pioneer Trust Bank’s Betsy Steinberg and ICBA Bancard’s Rebecca Kruse
Host Charles Potts, CIO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, sits down with Eric Sprink to discuss his storied career and passion for community banking. This episode is brought to you...
Community Banking and Cryptocurrency – A Conversation with Quontic Bank’s Steve Schnall and ICBA’s Brian Laverdure
Host Charles Potts, CIO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, sits down with Eric Sprink to discuss his storied career and passion for community banking. This episode is brought to you...
Why community banks form charitable foundations
Supporting local causes and charities is a core differentiator of community banks. To that end, some community banks have elected to form foundations to be lasting stewards of their charitable...
How 3 community banks are innovating with fintechs
The best fintech companies aren’t just service providers. They’re partners. Three community bank-fintech partnerships tell us how they’ve forged mutually beneficial relationships that thrive on a...
The race for faster payments is here
In just a few years, the U.S. payments space has developed game-changing faster payments technologies, and consumers are taking notice. Experts say it's time for community banks to prepare for a...
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.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Prepare your cyber defenses
While there’s no cyber or data security silver bullet, by bringing the theoretical into a true banking environment, we can begin to establish action plans that speak to real-world attacks.
The banks serving active duty personnel
Community banks operate on a majority of the country’s military installations. Given their selfless service, active-duty personnel rely on community banks that understand their unique needs.
Now is a prime time for digital account opening
How Americans bank has been changing for years, including how they start their banking relationships. Offering the ability to open an account online can be one way to reach customers who are unable...
RPA: What is it and could it boost your productivity?
While artificial intelligence has made headlines for years with a promise of automating complex tasks throughout the bank, the lesser-known robotic process automation (RPA) could help community...
Walden Mutual aims to serve New England’s food community
As the first mutual bank to open in decades, Walden Mutual Bank is gearing up to support New England’s farmers, food service industry and sustainable food community.
Jim Reber: Bill Shakespeare, community banker
The Bard had some thoughts on balance sheet management.
Charles Potts: Know where you’re going
As you begin thinking about your goals for the year ahead, ICBA’s Preferred Service Providers directory is a great starting point to research potential vendors selected by community bankers for...
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.
The community bank’s complete guide to building trust
Building trust in your institution has a lot to do with technology, from implementing strong data security practices to humanizing your online customer interactions.
How University Bank is redressing redlining
Widespread housing discrimination made homeownership unattainable for Black Americans for generations. To address this, University Bank and a nonprofit launched a new mortgage program, creating a...
Overcoming banking hurdles for Native American customers
Native American customers on tribal lands have historically been redlined and ignored by the mainstream financial system. Native-owned community banks have been there to serve these communities by...
What is open banking and what does it mean for you?
Open banking is a buzzword in the banking industry, but what exactly does it mean, and how will it affect you? From application programming interfaces to fintech partnerships, it’s been applied to...
Jim Reber: Financing, fine-tuned
New risk profiles call for attention to details.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Mitigating cybercrime
We know that despite the frights cyberattacks bring, you continue to flourish by safeguarding the communities you serve.
How BankMD’s experiment paid off
Digital-only brand BankMD has shaken up the medical lending arena since its launch in 2019, led by Moses D. Luevano. Anchored by San Antonio-based TransPecos Banks, the experiment has brought huge...
Aaron Stetter: Sounding the alarm on IRS reporting overreach
ICBA is building a coalition of associations, community banks and customers to oppose a Treasury Department proposal adding burdensome reporting to the plates of all financial institutions.
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...
Ponce Bank serves the underserved
Ponce Bank has brought banking services to minority neighborhoods in the Bronx and greater New York City for more than six decades with a clear focus on community investment.
Aaron Stetter: Pushing back against postal banking
ICBA is fighting a flawed proposal that would have the U.S. Postal Service enter the banking industry.
Charles Potts: Integrating cybersecurity
As banks are revisiting their strategic plans and budgeting for the future, cybersecurity needs a seat at the table.
Lindsay LaNore: Creative teambuilding
Sometimes teambuilding gets a bad rap, and busy schedules can keep it from reaching the top of the priority list, but it is something every leader should have in their repertoire.
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.
“Baby Stepping” Got Coastal Community Bank to BaaS - A Conversation with Eric Sprink, CEO
Host Charles Potts, CIO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, sits down with Eric Sprink to discuss his storied career and passion for community banking. This episode is brought to you...
Jim Reber: Balance sheet, complete
Investors have turned their sights on loan purchases.
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.
7 benefits that will make your bank stand out
Today’s competitive labor market means employers have to stand out from the pack. One strategy community banks can use is a well-rounded benefits package. Here are seven benefits that community...
Out of Office: Orvin Kimbrough
The chairman and CEO of $2.3 billion-asset Midwest BankCentre in St. Louis has been teaching students valuable leadership skills for more than a decade as a Washington University adjunct professor.
Brattleboro Savings & Loan is a force for good
Brattleboro Savings & Loan is the ninth bank in the country to become an official B Corporation, a designation that certifies the community bank’s commitment to its community, the environment and...