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Seize the Month: April is Go Time for Community Banks
Seize the Month: April is Go Time for Community Banks Community bankers know we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to strike while the iron is hot—whether it is a loan to a local small business or...
Rumor Mongering Always Leads to Bad Results
Rumor Mongering Always Leads to Bad Results It’s amazing what you can learn if you just ask. The recent needless confusion over a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau information request is a prime...
Community Bank Customer Service Can’t Be Shut Down
Community Bank Customer Service Can’t Be Shut Down The government shutdown has come to an end, though the debate over federal policies and spending is far from over. Among the chattering classes,...
The Sound of Progress
The Sound of Progress I’ll admit it—I’ve been told a time or two that I march to the beat of my own drum. And that’s perfectly fine by me. As you well know, we at ICBA proudly represent just one...
The Dangers of Regulatory Overreach and Those Who Exploit It
The Dangers of Regulatory Overreach and Those Who Exploit It In case you missed it, American Banker this week launched a series that sheds some light on the unintended consequences that can result...
ICBA "Going Postal”
ICBA "Going Postal” I’m all for outside-the-box thinking. Fresh ideas and brainstorming are as important in community banking as they are in any other business. But sometimes an idea comes along...
Too-Big-To-Jail Talk is Cheap
Too-Big-To-Jail Talk is Cheap Here in Washington, I hear a lot of talk. People will say just about anything and claim it’s the truth, no matter what the record shows. Well, I’m from the Show-Me...
Note to Regulators: Exercising Fiduciary Responsibility is Not a Community Bank Board Problem - But You Might Make It One!
Note to Regulators: Exercising Fiduciary Responsibility is Not a Community Bank Board Problem - But You Might Make It One! As community bankers we have a fiduciary responsibility to our customers...
Let’s Cut Call Report Paperwork Down to Size
Let’s Cut Call Report Paperwork Down to Size Regulatory paperwork continues to occupy far too many community bank resources that could be dedicated to improving local communities, and the problem...
Free Societies and the Rule of Law
Free Societies and the Rule of Law Operation Choke Point is a U.S. Department of Justice-led joint effort with federal regulators designed to choke off access to banking services by businesses...
Making Progress on Making News
Making Progress on Making News What a difference a year makes. Last summer I embarked on a media tour of New York City. Joined by ICBA’s media expert, Senior Vice President of Media and Public...
Regulatory Capture Old News for Community Banks
Regulatory Capture Old News for Community Banks A new report exposing the New York Fed’s coddling of Wall Street megabanks—particularly Goldman Sachs—is making waves in Washington. And why...
Antonio Weiss Not Right for Treasury Post
Antonio Weiss Not Right for Treasury Post Reasonable people can disagree. I’ve always firmly believed that individuals can look at the same set of facts and come to differing conclusions without...
Let’s Take Last Week’s Convention Energy to Washington
Let’s Take Last Week’s Convention Energy to Washington ICBA’s national convention is always an incredible experience. If you haven’t witnessed nearly 3,000 members of the community banking industry...
Regulatory Relief Push in Full Swing with Committee Markup
Regulatory Relief Push in Full Swing with Committee Markup The House Financial Services Committee last week advanced five ICBA-advocated bills to provide regulatory relief to community banks. The...
April is a Flurry of Community Banking Activity
April is a Flurry of Community Banking Activity Wow. I don’t think there’s much more you can say with the flurry of activity going on at ICBA and throughout the community banking industry right...
Regulatory Burden Is Capturing Big Headlines
Regulatory Burden Is Capturing Big Headlines While ICBA continues our full-court press toward advancing community bank regulatory relief all the way through Congress and to the president’s desk, we...
Take Charge: Combat Call Report Encroachment with ICBA Petition
Take Charge: Combat Call Report Encroachment with ICBA Petition Before I was ever a community banker, I was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute and an officer in the U.S. Army. One of the...
Millennials Are the Future for Community Banks
Millennials Are the Future for Community Banks Forget what you think you know about Generation Y. The nation’s millennials—the biggest and most diverse generation of customers in our nation’s...
The Midterms Are Over, but the Community Bank Battle Continues
The Midterms Are Over, but the Community Bank Battle Continues Well, the 2014 midterm elections are in the books. It’s all over but the shouting (almost). With all the close calls, potential...