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Everything You Need to Know About ICBA LIVE 2026
The world's largest gathering of community bankers will be inspiring, educational and invigorating. Learn about the events, speakers and celebrations that make it a must-attend event.
How CDFIs and MDIs Are Navigating Uncertainty
CDFIs and MDIs share how potential funding cuts and regulatory shifts could affect their ability to serve underserved communities, and why their mission matters more than ever.
Banking Trades Statement on White House Crypto Market Structure Meeting
Banking Trades Statement on White House Crypto Market Structure Meeting 2026-02-02 Washington, D.C. (Feb. 2, 2026)—Following today’s meeting at the White House on crypto market structure...
FFIEC announces updates to liquidity web pages
2026-02-03 The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council announced it is updating the Uniform Bank Performance Report’s Liquidity & Funding page and the Liquidity & Investment Portfolio...
ICBA: Latest national trust bank charter application highlights need for moratorium
ICBA: Latest national trust bank charter application highlights need for moratorium 2026-02-03 After the latest nonbank entity applied for a national trust bank charter, ICBA reiterated its call...
ICBA, others oppose PayPal’s ILC application
2026-02-03 ICBA and the Bank Policy Institute said the FDIC should not issue deposit insurance to any industrial loan company applicant, including PayPal Bank, until Congress closes the ILC...
ICBA attends White House meeting on digital assets
ICBA attends White House meeting on digital assets 2026-02-03 ICBA and other groups met with administration officials at the White House to discuss concerns with digital assets market structure...
Bank financial officers report tighter standards for commercial, industrial loans
2026-02-04 Respondents to the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of senior financial officers reported: Tighter lending standards for commercial and industrial loans to firms of all sizes, stronger...
February marketing tools available
February marketing tools available 2026-02-04 ICBA’s Marketing Resource Center features ready-to-use marketing tools that community bankers can use to celebrate February events. February Assets:...
Independent Banker highlights the power of CDFIs
2026-02-04 The latest Independent Banker magazine highlights why the mission of community development financial institutions and minority deposit institutions matters more than ever. Details: The...
Fed finalizes scenarios for annual stress test
2026-02-05 The Federal Reserve finalized the hypothetical scenarios for its annual stress test for large banks. Details: The Fed: Said the final scenarios are substantially similar to the scenarios...
CDFI Fund announces TLR webinars
2026-02-05 The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund announced its schedule for monthly Transaction Level Report webinars. Details: The CDFI Fund said the webinars are intended to serve...
SBA announces stricter residency requirements
The Small Business Administration announced it will no longer guarantee loans for small businesses owned by foreign nationals. Details: In its policy notice, the SBA said: Consistent with President...
Treasury’s Bessent expresses support for community bank regulatory relief
2026-02-05 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted regulatory relief for community banks during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Statement: While delivering the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s...
Washington enacts tax on credit unions that acquire banks
2026-02-06 Washington state recently enacted a tax on credit unions that acquire or merge with a bank. Details: Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Washington state-based credit unions that acquire a bank are...
CDFI Fund receives full allocation for 2026
CDFI Fund receives full allocation for 2026 2026-02-06 The spending bill signed into law this week fully funds the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund for 2026. Details: The...
Bessent recognizes concerns with stablecoin yield in testimony
2026-02-06 Appearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged concerns about crypto entities paying interest or yield on payment stablecoin holdings and...
Ahead of House vote, ICBA urges support for community bank reg relief
2026-02-06 Ahead of House vote, ICBA urges support for community bank reg relief ICBA urged members of Congress to pass the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644) and called for grassroots...
Consumer credit up in 2025, Q4, and December
2026-02-09 The Federal Reserve reported that consumer credit increased 5.7% in December, capping an increase of 3.0% in the fourth quarter. 2025 Data: Overall in 2025, consumer credit rose 2.4%....
USDA forecasts decline in farm income
USDA forecasts decline in farm income 2026-02-09 The USDA released an updated farm sector income forecast estimating net farm income of $153.4 billion for 2026, which is 0.7% lower than 2025.
FDIC extends comment period on stablecoin rule
2026-02-09 The FDIC issued an ICBA-advocated extension of the comment period for its proposed rulemaking on the GENIUS Act. Details: The FDIC announced a 90-day extension of the comment period from...
ICBA, farm groups urge no cuts to crop insurance
2026-02-09 ICBA and 60 farm groups opposed cuts to crop insurance during the budget process. Details: In letters to the administration and congressional leaders, ICBA and the other groups said: The...
ICBA expresses concerns about ‘skinny’ master accounts
2026-02-09 ICBA told policymakers it has significant concerns about expanding direct Federal Reserve account access to institutions that operate outside the traditional banking regulatory...
Community Banks Head to San Diego for ICBA LIVE 2026 Next Month
Community Banks Head to San Diego for ICBA LIVE 2026 Next Month 2026-02-09 The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) will host ICBA LIVE 2026, the nation’s premier educational and...
ICBA Applauds House Passage of Housing for the 21st Century Act
2026-02-09 capital Washington, D.C. (Feb. 9, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) applauded the House of Representatives for today’s bipartisan passage of the Housing for...
CFTC warns of relationship investment scams around Valentine’s Day
CFTC warns of relationship investment scams around Valentine’s Day 2026-02-10 The Commodity Futures Trading Commission warned consumers that Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for criminals to use...
Washington credit union tax continues making news
2026-02-10 Washington state’s recently enacted tax on credit unions that acquire banks continues making news. Background: Effective immediately, the Washington law says state-based credit unions...
House passes ICBA-supported regulatory relief bill
2026-02-10 The House of Representatives passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644), which includes ICBA-advocated community bank regulatory reforms and promotes housing affordability....
ICBA Urges Congress to Provide Additional Farm Aid
2026-02-10 Washington, D.C. (Feb. 10, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today strongly urged Congress to quickly pass bipartisan legislation to provide additional...
Banking Trades Statement on White House Crypto Market Structure Meeting
Crypto Image Washington, D.C. (Feb. 10, 2026) — Following today’s meeting at the White House on crypto market structure legislation, the American Bankers Association, Bank Policy Institute and...
ICBA ad campaign spotlights impact of community banks
With multiple advocacy efforts underway in Washington, an ICBA ad campaign running this week showcases the positive impact of community banks to local communities. Details: In the Politico Morning...
Fed’s Waller recognizes concerns over ‘skinny’ master accounts
2026-02-11 Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he’s hearing concerns from banks and crypto-focused firms on his efforts to authorize “skinny” master accounts, but the Fed still plans...
ICBA pushes for more economic assistance to farmers
ICBA pushes for more economic assistance to farmers 2026-02-11 ICBA urged Congress to pass an additional farm economic assistance package. Details: In a letter to members of Congress, ICBA said: A...
ICBA attends another White House meeting on digital asset market structure priorities
2026-02-11 ICBA attended a second White House meeting focused on the debate over pending digital assets market structure legislation. Details: At the meeting, which was also attended by digital...
Finosec Named ICBA Preferred Service Provider for Cybersecurity Governance
2026-02-11 INN-TECH_13_image branded Washington, D.C. (Feb. 11, 2026)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today named Finosec, a cybersecurity governance SaaS company, as its newest...
Report: Assets held by CDFIs declined over past two years
2026-02-12 After growing by nearly 10 times between 2011 and 2024, assets held by community development financial institutions declined modestly between the fourth quarter of 2023 and second...
Finosec named as ICBA Preferred Service Provider
2026-02-12 ICBA announced Finosec as its newest Preferred Service Provider to help community banks with cybersecurity governance. Details: Finosec: Specializes in governance tools for infosec,...
ICBA-advocated USDA Express Loan Act introduced in House
2026-02-12 Reps. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.) introduced ICBA-advocated legislation to speed up approval times for USDA loans. Details: The USDA Express Loan Act (H.R. 7426)...
ICBA-supported TRUST Act introduced in Senate
2026-02-12 ICBA expressed strong support for the bipartisan Senate introduction of ICBA-advocated legislation to provide expanded community bank examination relief. About the Bill: Introduced by...
Independent Banker shares tips for addressing the end of penny production
2026-02-12 Since penny production has ended, a new Independent Banker article spotlights the economics of rounding and offers insights on dealing with the change. Details: The latest Independent...
ICBA: OCC should withdraw national trust bank chartering proposal
ICBA: OCC should withdraw national trust bank chartering proposal 2026-02-13 ICBA urged the OCC to withdraw its notice of proposed rulemaking on national bank chartering or issue an amended...
New op-ed: Credit union tax status hasn’t kept up with changing industry
New op-ed: Credit union tax status hasn’t kept up with changing industry 2026-02-13 A new community banker op-ed says credit unions have changed and are abusing their tax advantage to acquire...
FTC warns consumers about romance scams
2026-02-13 With Valentine’s Day approaching, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert on romance scams. Details: The FTC said romance scams have become more difficult to detect, with...
CISA: Energy sector incident highlights cybersecurity concerns
2026-02-13 The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said a December energy sector cyber incident in Poland highlights the need for entities to strengthen their cybersecurity posture...
K.C. Fed: Ag real estate values remain firm
Despite softer farm finances, the value of cropland in the Kansas City Federal Reserve District was nearly unchanged from a year ago, while ranchland values increased modestly in 2025, according to...
Agencies release megabank stress test scenarios
2026-02-13 The FDIC and OCC released economic and financial market scenarios for use in upcoming stress tests for covered institutions over $250 billion in assets. The supervisory scenarios include...
FFIEC announces changes to UBPR peer groups
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council announced changes to the Uniform Bank Performance Report’s commercial bank peer group population definitions on or shortly after Feb. 26....
USDA announces specialty crop assistance
2026-02-17 The Agriculture Department announced $1 billion in assistance for specialty crops and sugar not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance program. Details: The...
FinCEN launches whistleblower webpage
FinCEN launches whistleblower webpage 2026-02-17 The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network launched a webpage to confidentially accept whistleblower tips on fraud, money laundering, and sanctions...
New farm bill introduced
2026-02-17 House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) introduced a new farm bill and said the committee would hold a markup on it this month. Details: Thompson said the Farm, Food,...
ICBA supports legislation targeting online scam ads
2026-02-17 ICBA signaled support for bipartisan legislation to combat predatory online scam advertisements. Bill Details: Introduced in the House by Reps. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and Lou Correa...
FinCEN relaxes certain beneficial owner requirements
2026-02-17 The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced it is relaxing parts of its 2016 rule that requires covered financial institutions to identify an entity’s beneficial owners each time...
Labor Department releases AI literacy framework
2026-02-18 The Labor Department published a framework to guide nationwide artificial intelligence efforts across workforce and education systems. Scope: The Labor Department said the framework:...
Bowman previews Fed proposals to support bank participation in mortgages
2026-02-18 Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said her agency will soon introduce two regulatory proposals to increase bank incentives to engage in mortgage origination and...
OCC proposes changes to appeals process
2026-02-18 The OCC proposed establishing revised procedures and policies for appeals by OCC-supervised entities of material supervisory determinations. Details: The OCC said: The proposed changes...
Treasury initiative to promote AI cybersecurity, risk management
Treasury initiative to promote AI cybersecurity, risk management 2026-02-19 The Treasury Department announced a public-private initiative to strengthen cybersecurity and risk management for...
Fed officials unsure how fast inflation will fall: minutes
2026-02-19 Federal Reserve officials said they anticipate that inflation will move down toward their 2% objective, though the pace and timing of this decline remains uncertain, according to the...
FDIC: Loans to nondepository institutions increasing
2026-02-19 Bank lending to nondepository financial institutions has been the fastest-growing loan segment since the global financial crisis, according to the FDIC. Details: In a new report, the...
ICBA Urges Credit Union Tax Reform as Acquisitions of Tax-Paying Community Banks Continues
2026-02-19 Main Street Local Community 02 image Washington, D.C. (Feb. 19, 2026) — Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following...
Bowman says Fed continues work to improve community bank capital standards
Bowman says Fed continues work to improve community bank capital standards 2026-02-20 Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said her agency continues working on changes to...