ICBA told Congress that community banks are on the front lines of fraud mitigation and are leading the response but cannot solve the problem alone.

Details: In a statement for the record prior to a House Financial Services Committee subcommittee hearing on fraud, ICBA said:

  • Two types of fraud have become increasingly prevalent and can have crippling effects on victims: check fraud and the financial abuse of U.S. seniors.

  • New or revised supervisory guidance that is particularly burdensome could impact community banks’ ability to effectively prevent, detect, or mitigate fraud by forcing resources to be redirected.

  • Community banks would benefit from automated data collection, analysis, and reporting tools that are integrated with services they already use and do not carry additional costs.

ICBA Efforts: In the statement, ICBA listed its ongoing check fraud-mitigation efforts, including:

  • ICBA’s Fraud Task Force, which brings together community banks and state associations from across the country to share information, build relationships with regulators, and collaboratively develop resources.

  • ICBA’s partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes a customizable news release via ICBA’s Marketing Resource Center and a check fraud prevention flyer community bankers can distribute to customers.

  • The ICBA website, which features community banker resources on fraud and scams, including ICBA’s guides on check fraud and online fraud courses.

  • The Fraud subgroup on ICBA Community, which includes more than 1,100 members dedicated to discussing fraud.

More from the Hearing: Committee leaders also sent a letter to the Federal Reserve requesting information on the Fed’s efforts to mitigate the increase in financial fraud and determine if further action is needed.