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Banking Trades Statement on White House Crypto Market Structure Meeting
Banking Trades Statement on White House Crypto Market Structure Meeting Washington, D.C. (Feb. 10, 2026) — Following today’s meeting at the White House on crypto market structure legislation, the...
ICBA ad campaign spotlights impact of community banks
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...
Fed’s Waller recognizes concerns over ‘skinny’ master accounts
Fed’s Waller recognizes concerns over ‘skinny’ master accounts Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he’s hearing concerns from banks and crypto-focused firms on his efforts to authorize...
ICBA pushes for more economic assistance to farmers
ICBA pushes for more economic assistance to farmers ICBA urged Congress to pass an additional farm economic assistance package. Details: In a letter to members of Congress, ICBA said: A growing...
ICBA attends another White House meeting on digital asset market structure priorities
ICBA attends another White House meeting on digital asset market structure priorities ICBA attended a second White House meeting focused on the debate over pending digital assets market structure...
Finosec Named ICBA Preferred Service Provider for Cybersecurity Governance
Finosec Named ICBA Preferred Service Provider for Cybersecurity Governance Washington, D.C. (Feb. 11, 2026)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today named Finosec, a cybersecurity...
Report: Assets held by CDFIs declined over past two years
Report: Assets held by CDFIs declined over past two years After growing by nearly 10 times between 2011 and 2024, assets held by community development financial institutions declined modestly...
Finosec named as ICBA Preferred Service Provider
Finosec named as ICBA Preferred Service Provider ICBA announced Finosec as its newest Preferred Service Provider to help community banks with cybersecurity governance. Details: Finosec: Specializes...
ICBA-advocated USDA Express Loan Act introduced in House
ICBA-advocated USDA Express Loan Act introduced in House Reps. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.) introduced ICBA-advocated legislation to speed up approval times for USDA loans....
ICBA-supported TRUST Act introduced in Senate
ICBA-supported TRUST Act introduced in Senate ICBA expressed strong support for the bipartisan Senate introduction of ICBA-advocated legislation to provide expanded community bank examination...
Independent Banker shares tips for addressing the end of penny production
Independent Banker shares tips for addressing the end of penny production Since penny production has ended, a new Independent Banker article spotlights the economics of rounding and offers insights...
ICBA: OCC should withdraw national trust bank chartering proposal
ICBA: OCC should withdraw national trust bank chartering proposal ICBA urged the OCC to withdraw its notice of proposed rulemaking on national bank chartering or issue an amended proposal that is...
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 A new community banker op-ed says credit unions have changed and are abusing their tax advantage to acquire tax-paying...
FTC warns consumers about romance scams
FTC warns consumers about romance scams 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...
CISA: Energy sector incident highlights cybersecurity concerns
CISA: Energy sector incident highlights cybersecurity concerns The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said a December energy sector cyber incident in Poland highlights the need for...
K.C. Fed: Ag real estate values remain firm
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...
Agencies release megabank stress test scenarios
Agencies release megabank stress test scenarios The FDIC and OCC released economic and financial market scenarios for use in upcoming stress tests for covered institutions over $250 billion in...
FFIEC announces changes to UBPR peer groups
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...
USDA announces specialty crop assistance
USDA announces specialty crop assistance The Agriculture Department announced $1 billion in assistance for specialty crops and sugar not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge...
FinCEN launches whistleblower webpage
FinCEN launches whistleblower webpage The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network launched a webpage to confidentially accept whistleblower tips on fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations....
New farm bill introduced
New farm bill introduced 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...
ICBA supports legislation targeting online scam ads
ICBA supports legislation targeting online scam ads ICBA signaled support for bipartisan legislation to combat predatory online scam advertisements. Bill Details: Introduced in the House by Reps....
FinCEN relaxes certain beneficial owner requirements
FinCEN relaxes certain beneficial owner requirements The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced it is relaxing parts of its 2016 rule that requires covered financial institutions to...
Labor Department releases AI literacy framework
Labor Department releases AI literacy framework The Labor Department published a framework to guide nationwide artificial intelligence efforts across workforce and education systems. Scope: The...
Bowman previews Fed proposals to support bank participation in mortgages
Bowman previews Fed proposals to support bank participation in mortgages Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said her agency will soon introduce two regulatory proposals to...
OCC proposes changes to appeals process
OCC proposes changes to appeals process The OCC proposed establishing revised procedures and policies for appeals by OCC-supervised entities of material supervisory determinations. Details: The OCC...
Treasury initiative to promote AI cybersecurity, risk management
Treasury initiative to promote AI cybersecurity, risk management The Treasury Department announced a public-private initiative to strengthen cybersecurity and risk management for artificial...
Fed officials unsure how fast inflation will fall: minutes
Fed officials unsure how fast inflation will fall: minutes Federal Reserve officials said they anticipate that inflation will move down toward their 2% objective, though the pace and timing of this...
FDIC: Loans to nondepository institutions increasing
FDIC: Loans to nondepository institutions increasing Bank lending to nondepository financial institutions has been the fastest-growing loan segment since the global financial crisis, according to...
ICBA Urges Credit Union Tax Reform as Acquisitions of Tax-Paying Community Banks Continues
ICBA Urges Credit Union Tax Reform as Acquisitions of Tax-Paying Community Banks Continues Washington, D.C. (Feb. 19, 2026) — Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO...
Bowman says Fed continues work to improve community bank capital standards
Bowman says Fed continues work to improve community bank capital standards Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said her agency continues working on changes to help community...
G20 meetings to cover digital assets, cross-border payments, and fraud/scams
G20 meetings to cover digital assets, cross-border payments, and fraud/scams The Treasury Department announced the G20 Finance Track meetings for 2026, which include an emphasis on digital assets,...
Fed hosting EGRPRA outreach meeting next month
Fed hosting EGRPRA outreach meeting next month The Federal Reserve announced it will hold a public outreach meeting next month as part of its review of regulations under the Economic Growth and...
ICBA urges credit union tax reform as acquisitions continue
ICBA urges credit union tax reform as acquisitions continue Following the latest reported acquisition of a tax-paying community bank by a tax-exempt credit union—the second deal of the year—ICBA...
ICBA op-ed: Durbin-Marshall credit card restrictions would harm consumers
ICBA op-ed: Durbin-Marshall credit card restrictions would harm consumers A new op-ed from ICBA community banker Sarah Getzlaff says community bank credit card programs that provide local customer...
ICBA/Travelers Announces Dividend Payment to Participating Community Bankers
ICBA/Travelers Announces Dividend Payment to Participating Community Bankers Washington, D.C. (Feb. 23, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today announced that the...
USDA opens enrollment for farm bridge payments
USDA opens enrollment for farm bridge payments The Agriculture Department announced it is opening the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, which will provide $11 billion in...
ICBA supports CRA strategic plan guidance
ICBA supports CRA strategic plan guidance ICBA said it supports the OCC’s proposed guidance on Community Reinvestment Act Strategic Plans, which is designed to make the strategic plan option more...
ICBA, others back changes to bank capital rules
ICBA, others back changes to bank capital rules ICBA and other groups expressed support for banking regulators’ continued work to reexamine and repropose a revised Basel III Endgame rule. Details:...
ICBA unveils interchange guide
ICBA unveils interchange guide ICBA unveiled a resource that breaks down payment card interchange and other swipe fees so community bankers can communicate about the issue with their customers....
Regulatory Reform and the Community Bank Difference
Recent regulatory rollbacks and tax reforms are reshaping the landscape for community banks. Explore how advocacy efforts are creating a more level playing field for local institutions.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Community Banking Strategy for Growth
Community banks can drive growth by leaning into relationship-based banking, targeted technology investments and personalized customer strategies. Explore leadership insights for expanding prospects.
Personalized Community Banking Starts With Data
Discover how community banks can use transaction data, AI and predictive analytics to deliver personalized banking experiences that drive customer growth and loyalty.
Online Course Newsletter – February 2026
Online Course Newsletter – February 2026 What’s New On Feb. 10, all Regulation CC courses were updated to include June 19 as a federal holiday – we apologize for the delay of this missed...
Karin Smith's Journey from Banking to Beading
A California community banker on her passion for creating and selling her own jewelry.
Community Bank of Cameron Spices Up Fundraising with a Specialty Barbecue Rub
Commuinity Bank of Cameron regulary supports local food shelves with food donations. But this holiday season, they put a new spin their annual giving by launching "Banking with BBQ."
Inside ICBA Education's Webinars
Live and on-demand webinars can help take your community bank to the next level. Here's how and why to take advantage of them.
Core Day and Regulator Day: Collaboration that Strengthens Community Banking
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CDFI Fund extends effective date for small business loan disclosure policy
CDFI Fund extends effective date for small business loan disclosure policy The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund announced an extension of the date when CDFI certification...
Fed requests comments on removal of reputation risk from supervision
Fed requests comments on removal of reputation risk from supervision The Federal Reserve requested comments on its proposal to codify the removal of reputation risk from its supervision of banks....
ICBA: Fed should not weaken stress testing regime
ICBA: Fed should not weaken stress testing regime ICBA called on the Federal Reserve to reconsider a proposal that would weaken the stress test regime for the largest banks. Details: In a letter to...
How a Community Bank Uses Customer Stories
For its 25th anniversary, Willamette Valley Bank turned customer testimonials into a high-impact video asset. Discover how community-focused storytelling builds trust, deepens relationships, and...
How Penn Community Bank Tackles Food Insecurity
As food insecurity surged, Penn Community Bank went beyond a traditional food drive mobilizing employees, donations, and nonprofit partnerships to support neighbors across five Pennsylvania counties.
Lindsay LaNore: How to Celebrate Someone Else's Win
In this highly competitive world, we all need reminders to slow down and celebrate success, including the wins of others. Community bank leaders are uniquely positioned to be a cheerleader and...
Retail Banking Trends 2026: Strategies for Growth
Explore six retail banking trends shaping 2026, from hybrid branch design and AI automation to deposit growth strategies, alternative lending and smarter marketing for community banks.
Competitive Analysis Strategies for Community Banks
Learn how community banks can use competitive analysis and market intelligence to improve growth, pricing strategy, customer retention and operational efficiency.
Fed Policy Outlook 2026: FOMC Changes & Rates
The Federal Reserve’s 2026 FOMC roster changes could reshape interest rate policy. Here’s what new leadership, voting shifts and market expectations mean for rate cuts, the yield curve and...
FinCEN rescinds advisory on St. Kitts and Nevis
FinCEN rescinds advisory on St. Kitts and Nevis The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network rescinded its advisory on the abuse of the Citizenship-by-Investment program sponsored by the Federation of...
FinCEN opens nominations for BSA advisory group
FinCEN opens nominations for BSA advisory group The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network opened nominations for membership on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group. Details: FinCEN said: BSAAG...
Treasury releases two AI resources
Treasury releases two AI resources The Treasury Department released the first two of six recently announced resources to guide AI use in the financial sector. Details: Treasury said: The AI Lexicon...