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Let’s Put a Stop to Credit Union End Run Around Congress
Let’s Put a Stop to Credit Union End Run Around Congress The United States has three branches of government to prevent any one from having too much power. The tax-exempt credit union industry...
Banks: An Eponym of Epic Proportions
Banks: An Eponym of Epic Proportions When most people want a tissue, they say they need a Kleenex. When you cut your finger, you don’t say you need an adhesive bandage—you need a Band-Aid! When you...
Staying True to Our Mission
Staying True to Our Mission In an era of seemingly perpetual political gridlock, it’s important to pause on occasion to consider why we community bankers put so much effort into political advocacy....
Guest Blog: Giving Credit Where It’s Due—with Community Bankers
Guest Blog: Giving Credit Where It’s Due—with Community Bankers By Terry J. Jorde Congratulations, community bankers! This week we saw once again that our industry’s hard work and determination on...
Retailers Fishing for Distractions Amid Data Security Push
Retailers Fishing for Distractions Amid Data Security Push Congress is an intentionally deliberative body. It was structured by our founders to ensure collective participation in shaping government...
Loan-Loss Plan Is Direct Hit on Community Bank Lending
Loan-Loss Plan Is Direct Hit on Community Bank Lending The following op-ed originally appeared Nov. 9 on American Banker’s BankThink blog. It is no wonder that the banking industry strongly opposes...
Community Bank Persistence Pays Dividends
Community Bank Persistence Pays Dividends It wasn’t exactly what ICBA was advocating; nevertheless, nearly all community banks scored a major victory with the industry’s hard-fought exemption from...
Mortgage Relief Recognizes Community Banks’ Unique Role
Mortgage Relief Recognizes Community Banks’ Unique Role It was a long time coming, but persistence paid off when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently updated its mortgage regulations...
Study Affirms Community Banks’ Small-Biz Leadership
Study Affirms Community Banks’ Small-Biz Leadership It’s something ICBA and the community banking industry say all the time: community banks are the nation’s leading small-business lenders. And the...
A Voice That Must Be Heard
A Voice That Must Be Heard “You say it again, and you say it again, and you say it again, and you say it again, and you say it again, and then again and again and again and again, and about the...
Digging Deep and Making a Difference This Holiday Season
Digging Deep and Making a Difference This Holiday Season While many Americans are gearing up for the holiday season, ICBA and community bankers are gearing up for a bustling couple of weeks in...
FASB Fabrications Show Genuine Disconnect with Reality
FASB Fabrications Show Genuine Disconnect with Reality Some might be surprised to learn that I’ve encountered circumstances so unbelievable I’ve been left speechless (hard to believe, I know), but...
Responsiveness Is Key to Another Productive Year
Responsiveness Is Key to Another Productive Year Welcome to 2016, community bankers! We had a prolific year of advocacy in 2015, and I want to thank all of you for doing your part. ICBA is again...
The Story I Heard in New Orleans
The Story I Heard in New Orleans It’s a funny thing. The buildup to the ICBA Community Banking LIVE® national convention is a massive undertaking, one that uses up every ounce of energy from ICBA...
Taking the Reins of Leadership
Taking the Reins of Leadership “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” General Colin Powell Good leaders aren’t born, they’re...
A Matter of Responsibility
A Matter of Responsibility A hallmark of community banking is accountability. Community bankers are held accountable to their customers because they live and work in the same neighborhoods. As...
Conventional Wisdom
Conventional Wisdom What do community banks have in common with astronauts, fighter pilots and football stars? At next month’s ICBA Community Banking LIVE® national convention, community bankers...
White House Shows Commitment to Community Banks
White House Shows Commitment to Community Banks As much as I enjoyed being with my fellow community bankers in San Antonio last week at ICBA’s national convention, it was nice to get back to...
Community Bankers Achieve Vital Changes to Accounting Rules
Community Bankers Achieve Vital Changes to Accounting Rules It took years of hard work, but community bankers once again showed they can make a positive impact on new regulations through engaged...
Standing Up to a Reckless Regulator
Standing Up to a Reckless Regulator Every now and then we have the chance to stand up for what’s right against powerful forces. As the legacy of a group of colonists who stared down and defeated...
Evaluating the Psychology of Money
Evaluating the Psychology of Money Rarely do I pause to share recommended reading, but a new feature in this month’s Independent Banker magazine is worth it. The “Psychology of Money” feature in...
A New Source of Legal Trolling
A New Source of Legal Trolling Predatory plaintiff’s attorneys have found a new source of legal exploitation to hound community banks and other small businesses with legal threats: the Americans...
Taking Pride in Successful Capital Summit
Taking Pride in Successful Capital Summit Community bankers have many reasons to stand proud after last week’s seminal ICBA Capital Summit in Washington. Community bankers have many reasons to...
Small Enough to Jail, Strong Enough to Resist
Small Enough to Jail, Strong Enough to Resist A documentary premiering this week in New York features a community bank that not only stood up for what’s right against overwhelming opposition—but...
Heading Off New Data-Collection Rules
Heading Off New Data-Collection Rules With members of Congress back in their districts this week for the Independence Day recess, ICBA’s regulatory relief initiative remains in full swing....
ICBA Brief Offers Latest on Tax Reform Debate
ICBA Brief Offers Latest on Tax Reform Debate To give community bankers the lay of the land on the fast-paced and fluctuating tax reform debate, ICBA released a new informational brief with the...
In ILC Fight, Community Banks Will Not Stand Down
In ILC Fight, Community Banks Will Not Stand Down Since I arrived at the Independent Community Bankers of America in 2003, the conversation about the mixing of banking and commerce has heated up,...
At Our Best in the Worst of Times
At Our Best in the Worst of Times I never cease to be amazed by how community bankers dig the deepest when they are subject to the very worst conditions, as evidenced by the industry’s recent...
Short-Term Investments That Yield Enduring Gains
Short-Term Investments That Yield Enduring Gains As a former community banker, I understand the importance of succession planning as a vital part of an organization’s overall strategy for the...
Wells Fargo: Still Not a Community Bank
Wells Fargo: Still Not a Community Bank Apparently Wells Fargo isn’t content to tarnish its own reputation—it has the gall to try to hide behind the sterling reputation of the nation’s community...
Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter Sheltered Harbor is a financial services sector initiative that enables financial institutions to securely store and rapidly reconstitute account information while recovering from a...
A Convention to Remember
A Convention to Remember We’re just a few short weeks away from next month’s ICBA Community Banking LIVE® national convention—the biggest show in community banking in the world! And to top it all...
Finish the Job
Finish the Job With the 2018 ICBA Capital Summit just weeks away, I’ve never been more impressed by the strength of community banks! What a week it was. While nearly 3,000 community bankers and...
From redlining to modernization: A CRA overview
From redlining to modernization: A CRA overview The Community Reinvestment Act was designed to stop redlining, the impact of which is still felt in metro areas today. We look at the past and...
Community bankers learn to create a story that defines their corporate brand
Community bankers learn to create a story that defines their corporate brand By Judith Sears Brainstorming Branding—Community bankers talk about effective branding during a workshop by a marketing...
Community Bank Leadership Lessons
Community Bank Leadership Lessons A community bank’s success relies on steady, solid leadership forged from a shared vision and a goal to exceed customers’ expectations. That’s at least the way...
Pride and Optimism
Pride and Optimism Rebeca Romero Rainey: Today is particularly special because we have taken another step toward meaningful community bank regulatory relief by delivering our S. 2155 petition to...
Strengthening SBA
Strengthening SBA Steve Keen: With the nation recognizing Small Business Month in May, the House last week approved pro-community bank legislation to strengthen the Small Business Administration...
Happy Birthday TCM!
Happy Birthday TCM! Damon Moorer: This week TCM Bank celebrates 20 years of service to community banks. It’s remarkable how far we’ve come over this time—providing professionally managed consumer...
Community Bankers: A Free Financial Technology Event Just for You
Community Bankers: A Free Financial Technology Event Just for You Kevin Tweddle: Regardless of your size, ICBA has resources to help your community bank develop a strategy for incorporating fintech...