While it will possibly take months and even the rest of the year to see the full shakeout, April 2025 was a laboratory for market efficiency. Some might contend there was an element of ruthlessness in the activity. Starting even before the Trump administration’s trade policy tariffs went into effect on April 2, the “Bond Vigilantes,” a nebulous gang of institutional debt investors, started shooting up the place.

In today’s challenging labor market, competitive compensation and benefits packages are crucial to securing and retaining top performers. Whether you're a CEO planning for the bank’s long-term growth, a CFO managing the bottom line, or an HR leader filling a key role, tapping into reliable compensation data is essential.

Innovation never stops, but regulatory considerations can impede progress if not properly accounted for and managed. That’s why it’s crucial to create dedicated spaces where innovators, regulators, and policymakers can form a brain trust to address technology adoption challenges in the financial industry.

The Treasury yield curve is a critical financial indicator that depicts the relationship between interest rates and the maturity dates of U.S. government debt. Typically, the yield curve slopes upward, reflecting higher yields for long-term securities compared to short-term ones.

With the Federal Reserve rescheduling until July 14 the Fedwire Funds Service’s conversion to the ISO 20022 message format, community banks have four extra months to ensure they are ready. Fortunately, there are a variety of resources available to help ensure a successful transition.

With a new Congress and administration arriving in Washington, ICBA and the nation’s community banks face a momentous opportunity to make significant changes to a regulatory system that is flat-out broken.

Most representatives of the broker-dealer industry have been suggesting to their customers, especially community banks, that their collection of bonds could be situated to perform pretty well in 2025.

As the number of acquisitions of community banks by credit unions skyrocketed at a shocking rate in 2024, ICBA has rightfully sounded the alarm to legislators and regulators. As a community banker, an S Corporation bank leader, and an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) bank owner, this issue presents a real and present danger to my community and local communities nationwide.

This year we’ve doubled down on our commitment to year-round innovation—with the opening of our Center for Innovation in Atlanta, the rollout of two 10-week ThinkTECH Accelerators, and a host of specialized forums and showcases—in our effort to address our bankers’ most pressing business challenges and opportunities.

ICBA and community bankers focused much of our attention in 2023 on differentiating our industry in the wake of failures at larger institutions, while 2024 was all about elevating our positions on key issues at a time of intense political debate.

With a new Congress and administration descending on Washington, now is the time for policymakers to act decisively to free the government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs, from government control to support the nation’s housing sector.

While we in the financial services sector start thinking about monetary policy in the coming year, there’s a new wrinkle to consider. Many Fed-watchers, rate prognosticators, economists and even investors had been betting on substantially lower rates in 2025 for many months.

Ninety-two percent of ICBA member banks rely on at least one ICBA Preferred Service Provider (PSP), and 52% of ICBA members say they would not be able to provide some services without ICBA, according to a recent ICBA member survey. These numbers demonstrate the tremendous value PSPs bring to community banks and highlight why ICBA is dedicated to fostering these relationships.

In today’s fast-paced and competitive landscape, it’s more important than ever for community banks to effectively share their stories. Through conversations with members like you, we’ve seen firsthand how your stories carry the heart and impact needed to elevate our industry in the eyes of consumers.

As an entrepreneur at heart, I truly like to build businesses. When I look at ICBA Payments, I see a fantastic opportunity to take a solid 40-year history and write our own story of innovation and growth into the future.

Leading a community bank means balancing countless responsibilities, managing your team, serving your customers, and keeping pace with the tempo of innovation in an ever-changing financial landscape. When your familiar rhythms are being tested daily, we understand how hard it can be to hit a new note.

In today’s environment, the proverb, “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” serves as a standard mantra for community banks. The regulatory landscape hurls new challenges, and community banks pivot, adjust, and act to ensure that, no matter the outcome, the best interests of their communities and customers remain the top priority.

The propensity of federal banking regulators to enact new regulatory burdens on community banks in response to the risky behavior of the largest institutions—a decades-long problem for local lenders—has only accelerated in recent months.

Bankers are operating in a fast-paced world, with solutions addressing customer growth and engagement. This technology can be a key driver to help them become more competitive; however, these solutions can only help if deployed strategically.

“Pig butchering” scams — in which victims invest increasing sums in supposedly legitimate virtual currency enterprises before being conned out of their money — depend on cryptocurrencies to function. But the connections between crypto and this skyrocketing scam run much deeper than the fake investments that ensnare consumers.