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Rebeca Romero Rainey: We Empower Our Nation's Small Businesses
When it comes to community banking, we are a nation unto ourselves.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Offering Financial Freedom to Communities Nationwide
As we celebrate Independence Day this month, I can’t help but equate that sense of freedom with what we do as community bankers.
Crossbridge Community Bank Elevates Its Employee Onboarding Experience
Crossbridge Community Bank built a robust onboarding process to ensure new hires feel supported as they settle into their new job.
What's the Secret to Becoming an Exceptional Lender?
Whether it’s loans for individuals or businesses, community banks’ lending activities keep America running.
Nominations Open for 2025's Best Community Banks to Work For Award
Does your community bank pride itself on being an amazing place to work? Now’s your chance to be recognized as one of ICBA’s Best Community Banks to Work For.
What Innovative Advantage Does Cloud Lending Give Community Banks?
Community banks are using cloud technology to improve efficiency and enhance customer convenience. See how cloud lending is transforming operations for banks and borrowers alike.
Community Banks Propel Multi-Family Home Growth
During a housing shortage, community banks are using their agility, relationships and market insight to support apartment developments when larger lenders fall short.
40 Under 40: 2025's Community Bank Leaders
Our seventh annual 40 Under 40 community bank leaders awards shine a light on inspiring people who take bettering their workplaces to the next level.
What Makes a Leader Truly Great? Experts Weigh In
Good leadership is about much more than one individual’s impact on the bottom line. It’s about how effective leaders use these skills both internally and in the community to build a stronger bank.
Building Stronger Futures Through the Heartland Bank Community Foundation
Focused on youth development and family enrichment, Heartland Bank’s charitable foundation delivers meaningful results through strategic giving and community partnerships.
How Can Legal Expertise Smooth Succession Transitions?
Succession planning is complicated in all sorts of ways. An attorney or legal team can help iron out the issues and lay out documents that ensure long-term continuity for community banks.
What Every Community Bank Needs to Fight Fraud
When it comes to fraud, everything old is new again—and then some.
CFG Bank Uplifts Baltimore's Resilience Following Local Tragedy
From donations to innovative money market accounts, CFG Bank is supporting Baltimore as it rebuilds and recovers from the 2024 Key Bridge collapse.
Powering Potential: ICBA Welcomes Peter Nelson
In February 2025, ICBA welcomed Peter Nelson as senior EVP of member engagement. As a long-time community banker, Nelson brings with him a history of robust involvement with ICBA.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Coming Together to Address Fraud
When it comes to fraud, it takes a village. That may be in part because fraudsters continue to get more sophisticated, and fraud’s effect on banking is skyrocketing.
Michael Benedict: The Resilience of Agency MBS in a Shifting Financial Landscape
Agency mortgage-backed securities rise above the rest in this relative value update.
What's Attracting Small Businesses to Small-Dollar SBA Loans?
Lenders are seeing an increase in small-dollar loans as demand from small business customers surges due to new SBA 7(a) program reforms and higher interest rates.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Your Advocacy Impact
Sometimes in life, we’re fortunate enough to see our labor yield results, and that’s precisely what’s been happening with our advocacy efforts.
Strengthening Work Relations Through Bank Employee Surveys
Are your employees happy? Staff surveys are a great way to find out. The key, say community bankers and experts, is following up on what you hear.
Workplace Culture: A Make or Break for Community Bank Employees?
Culture keeps a workplace and its employees running—whether they know it or not. From values and practices to the way colleagues interact, culture drives a community bank from the inside out.
Bank of Zachary: Building Financial Foundations
The Bank of Zachary is equipping high school students with real-world banking skills to shape a financially literate future.
Meet ICBA’s 2025/26 Board of Directors
ICBA’s 2025/26 board members hail from all corners of the country and are ready to fight for the continued success of the community banking industry.
Fighting Fraud Under the USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b)
Information sharing, permitted under the USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b), presents opportunities for banks to work together and combat suspicious bank activity.
What Makes Customers Trust Community Banks?
Trustworthiness is integral to the success of a bank. And for community banks, it’s more than table stakes—it’s your competitive edge.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Amplifying the Community Bank Difference
Our 2025 Community Bank CEO Outlook survey revealed that 77% of bank executives believe their greatest opportunity this year will be differentiating their community bank from other financial firms.
Oxford Bank Celebrates 140 Years of Community Support
Oxford Bank in Oxford, Mich., celebrated its 140th anniversary by building relationships, investing in the community and exercising purposeful giving.
Optimize Your Community Bank's Treasury Management Offerings
These four community banks compared the costs and use cases for adding treasury management to their services and streamlining them. Now, they’re seeing the benefits.
Michael Benedict: Community Bank Growth in a New Rate Environment
A steeper yield curve brings growth strategies back into the fold.
Tips for Winning the Retail Banking Game
Technology continues to evolve, and community banks must do the same. To cater to and better support young, tech-savvy customers, these local banks are partnering with fintechs to revamp their...
Incoming 2025/26 ICBA Chairman Jack E. Hopkins Will Bring Small-Town Sensibility to Washington
Jack E. Hopkins, president and CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D., has been a strong voice for community banking for years.
Why Your Community Bank Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan
Community banks like Countybank face and overcome challenges every day, but what about the events banks don’t expect?
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Marching to the Beat of Community Banking
There’s a rhythm to community banking, a steadiness amid a sea of change that keeps us centered and focused on the customers and communities we serve.
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.
6 Ways to Deepen Small-Business Relationships
When it comes to small businesses, a personal touch is needed to develop the relationship between bank and business.
40 Under 40: 2024's Community Bank Leaders
Our sixth annual 40 Under 40 community bank leaders awards recognize an insightful group of professionals who have continuously stepped up to make a difference in their communities.
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.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: A New Tool For Your Team's Career Development
As community bankers, we each wear multiple hats and have throughout the course of our careers.
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.
Paycheck Protection Program's Impact Four Years On
Community banks went above and beyond to help customers and noncustomers alike during the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) four years ago, and they continue to reap the benefits of that service.
ICBA's Best-Performing Banks of 2024
These community banks hit their stride in 2024, and they intend to keep the momentum going with hard work, flexibility and the expertise they've built over their years of service.
Warsaw Federal Bank's Unique Path to MDI Status
Cincinnati-based Warsaw Federal Bank has just become one of the state’s two minority depository institutions, with a focus on bringing banking to the city’s underserved communities.
Q&A: Is it Time to Change Your Community Bank Core?
What questions do community banks need to ask to ensure they’re getting the most out of their core?
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Why the Community Bank Story Matters in Advocacy
As we enter Community Banking Month, I am thrilled to honor the ways community banks step up to champion the needs of their communities.
7 Strategies for Raising Bank Deposits
Community banks must maintain a competitive edge to stay on top of their deposits.
How Marketing Impacts Community Banks' Recruiting
A marketing campaign could be the first thing a prospective employee sees while researching your community bank.
Banking With Heart: How Community Banks Support Customers' Dreams
In honor of Community Banking Month, here are stories from six banks about how their work helps customers achieve their dreams.
Could a Fintech Help Your Community Bank Keep Up With Faster Payments?
The faster payments landscape is constantly evolving—but staying on top of it can provide community banks with a competitive edge. Could working with a fintech be key to that success?
Can Community Banks Benefit from Culture Leadership Positions?
Is culture something that falls into place naturally or something that is cultivated?
CRE Lending: Challenge or Opportunity?
CRE lending is down, but should community banks see it as an opportunity to win business that the megabanks won’t take?
Meet ICBA's 2024/25 Board of Directors
The 2024/25 ICBA board of directors is raring to go. With their eyes set on community bank advocacy, they have high hopes of what they can achieve during their term.
ENTER NOW: 40 Under 40: Community Bank Leaders awards
Nominations for 40 Under 40: Community Bank Leaders 2025 are now open! 40 Under 40 seeks to recognize community banking’s brightest, most promising young professionals. Winners are featured in...
Does Your Community Bank Need an Advisory Board?
Distinct from a board of directors, advisory boards are dedicated to advocating for and offering insight into the needs and interests of the local population.
Your 2026 Budget Is Complete. Now Is the Right Time to Fix What Made It Hard.
Your 2026 Budget Is Complete. Now Is the Right Time to Fix What Made It Hard. SPONSORED | Budget season is behind you, but those frustrating spreadsheet errors, manual ALM imports, and limited...
Public Funds as a Strategic Anchor in Modern Wholesale Funding
Public Funds as a Strategic Anchor in Modern Wholesale Funding SPONSORED | PTMA Funding links community banks and local governments, providing stable public deposits that diversify liquidity....
The IT Vendor Decision That Could Make or Break Your Bank
The IT Vendor Decision That Could Make or Break Your Bank SPONSORED | Choosing the wrong IT vendor can cost your bank in security, compliance, and growth. Discover how to evaluate your MSP and make...
ILC Loophole Impact on Community Banks & Regulation
Learn about the historical context of the ILC loophole, its implications for community banks and the ongoing regulatory debates surrounding this critical issue.
Ladder vs. Barbell: Portfolio Management Tips
Learn how community banks can leverage barbell strategies to balance risk, improve yields and manage bond portfolios effectively.
Should Community Banks Offer Subscription Management?
Build your customers’ financial health by helping them manage their subscriptions in-app.
The Power of Healthy Dissent in Leadership
Discover how healthy dissent fuels stronger teams and better decisions. Learn leadership strategies to foster dialogue and innovation.
Deregulation Ahead: Community Bank Regulatory Outlook
Learn how regulatory changes in 2026, including stablecoin legislation and Section 1071 exemptions, will shape the future of community banking.