The countdown is on. FedNow goes live in just a few months, and its looming launch creates a sense of urgency around the execution of instant payments.

Anne Balcer talks to host Charles Potts, ICBA’s chief innovation officer, about the value of her background as a community banker, the advocacy wins community banks saw last year, the issues she and her team are targeting in 2023, the critical role community bankers themselves play in advocacy….and even a little lacrosse.

In the last three years, a number of expressions have come into fashion, some of which have been worn out, used out of context and deemed by linguists to be a blight on our vocabulary. I’m sorry to say these may be around for a while. Here are a few.

Instant payments have arrived. In the five years since the launch of the RTP Network, volumes have steadily increased by more than 10 percent per quarter, and in Q3 2022, the network moved 45 million transactions valued at $19.7 billion.

As a board chair who just concluded an annual organizational meeting piggybacked on a regular monthly bank board meeting, you do not have to convince me that banks don’t need to go looking for items to fill their agendas.

If you consider yourself a loyal patron of local businesses, it’s only natural for you to be banking locally, too. Beyond offering exemplary customer service and quality products and services, community banks directly benefit your community in three important ways:

When it comes to innovation, big picture ideas formulate and crystalize into concrete plans. Having the vision and enthusiasm for fresh solutions is just the start and drives the community bank journey to unearth specific, relevant and actionable opportunities.

Remember, your board of directors need annual training on the same regulations that all bank employees must receive training on, including Fair Lending. How do you train your directors each year?

Instant payments have arrived. In the five years since the launch of the RTP Network, volumes have steadily increased by more than 10 percent per quarter, and in Q3 2022, the network moved 45 million transactions valued at $19.7 billion.

Digital customer engagement has risen as a top priority for financial institutions in 2023, according to new research from Anna Kooi, financial services industry leader at Wipfli LLP, a top advisory firm in this space.