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Strategic Loan Modifications That Work
When a customer gets into trouble with loan payments, a modification is sometimes the easiest way to help them get back on track.
BayCoast Bank Helps Craft a Playhouse Fit for a Princess
In June 2023, BayCoast Bank in Swansea, Massachusetts, joined forces with a network of community partners to create a playhouse for a young girl with life-limiting medical challenges.
Managing Third-Party Fintech Risk
No matter how much effort your community bank puts into compliance, a third party can still put the bank at risk. Learn how to keep partners in check and ensure they’re compliant with regulations,...
Free IT Assessment for Banks—Limited-Time Offer
Banks: Get a free, expert-led IT assessment covering firewalls, MFA, email security, and more. Reduce risk, boost compliance, and plan for growth. Offer ends December 31, 2025. See if you qualify...
Rising Concerns Over National Bank Trust Charters
Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed an alarming upsurge in the number of nonbank financial technology firms applying for national bank trust charters.
Streamlining Social Media for Community Banks
Don’t have a dedicated social media person? No problem. New tools and an inclusive approach make your community bank’s social presence simpler to establish and maintain.
Personalization Strategies, Driven by Community Bank Data
By exploring and analyzing data-driven customer insights, community banks can enhance their personalization efforts to deliver proactive solutions with enhanced trust.
The Anatomy of a Rate-Cut Cycle
Examine the current Fed cycle versus the past to inform portfolio strategy.
Succession Planning Essentials for Family Banks
Creating succession plans for family-owned community banks can be complicated in all sorts of ways.
Evaluating Credit Card Rewards in Modern Banking
Younger generations prefer debit to credit, but consumers’ appetite for card rewards is still strong. Learn how your community bank can integrate rewards as part of its payments strategy.
Safeguarding Borrower Data
The HPPA curbs trigger leads and reinforces the trust at the heart of community banking.
Inviting Questions to Spark Better Conversations
We all know how powerful curiosity can be. Every great leader knows that inviting feedback and questions from their team can be a highly collaborative and productive process.
Customer Experience Through Strategic Innovation
Recent research from FICO shows that 88% of bank customers say experience is as important as or more important than products and services.
Making Homeownership Achievable, Together
Prospective homebuyers today might feel like the odds are stacked against them as they face increasing costs, market challenges and other socioeconomic barriers.
Ozark Bank Offers Custom Solutions for Nonprofit Partners
From lease-purchase solutions to crisis support, Ozark Bank shows how tailored financial services help local nonprofits and municipalities thrive.
Strengthening Franchise Value: Community Banks’ Growing Use of Reciprocal Deposits
In an environment where deposit competition is intensifying and customer concerns about deposit safety remain top of mind, reciprocal deposits have emerged as a vital tool for community banks.
Understanding the Opportunities and Concerns for Agentic AI
Here’s what you need to know about the newest form of AI, known as agentic AI.
Up-and-Coming Bank Technology: Separating Innovation from Hype
Community bankers, fintech experts and consultants alike are keeping their finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest technology—with the goal of understanding what’s useful and what’s all hype.
Out of Office: John and Lou Buhrmaster
John Buhrmaster, chief executive officer at 1st National Bank of Scotia in Scotia, New York, shares how he and his father, chairman Lou Buhrmaster, have a unique connection to vintage taxi cabs.
Powering Potential: Maximize Your Social Media Impact
ICBA’s marketing resources, education programs and compliance tools provide community bankers with strategic social media solutions and regulatory guidance to amplify their online presence.
Community State Bank Brews Up Coffee and Community
Community State Bank and Shepherds College united to create Shepherds Community Café, a donation-based coffee shop that fosters occupational experience for students with different needs.
Fraud Moves Fast. Are You Keeping Up?
Fraud flows across entire financial ecosystems. Without a unified approach, you risk operating with the same limited visibility that fraudsters exploit.
Mission: Excellence—Are You Ready to Lead?
Mission: Excellence—Are You Ready to Lead? Every great leader has a moment when they’re called to step up—to lead with clarity, purpose, and excellence. For the next generation of community bank...
On your marks
On your marks In just a few short weeks, the fixed-income market’s expectations for monetary policy have done a virtual about-face. This is not to say that investors are fickle. Some of this change...
New Analysis Shows Credit Union Acquisitions of Community Banks Harm the Communities That Can Least Afford It
New Analysis Shows Credit Union Acquisitions of Community Banks Harm the Communities That Can Least Afford It ICBA and community bankers have long warned about the dangers of tax-exempt credit...
Attract the Next Banking Generation with a Great Credit Card Portfolio
Attract the Next Banking Generation with a Great Credit Card Portfolio Discover how community banks can attract the next generation with TCM Bank’s competitive credit card solutions. As the banking...
How Community Banks Can Compete with Major Credit Card Issuers
How Community Banks Can Compete with Major Credit Card Issuers In today’s credit card market, community banks face significant competition from the major credit card issuers. However, with a...
Online Course Newsletter – October 2025
Online Course Newsletter – October 2025 It’s that time of year again for Standard Plan, Custom Plan, and Bank Compliance Bundle subscribers – Subscription Renewals! Renewal invoices were mailed...
ICBA Urges OCC to Deny Coinbase’s Application for a National Trust Bank Charter
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to reject Coinbase’s application for a national trust bank charter for its subsidiary,...
ICBA Statement on Bipartisan Deal to Reopen Government
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) issued the following statement on bipartisan Senate efforts to reopen the federal government.
ICBA Statement on CFPB’s New Proposal to Implement Section 1071 Small-Business Reporting Requirements
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on today’s updated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rule to...
New ICBA White Paper Calls on Policymakers to Close Industrial Loan Company Loophole
New ICBA White Paper Calls on Policymakers to Close Industrial Loan Company Loophole The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today released a comprehensive white paper detailing why...
ICBA Urges FDIC to Reject Applications Under Industrial Loan Company Loophole to Prevent Risks to Consumers
ICBA told the FDIC that it has a statutory duty to reject the applications of industrial loan companies (ILCs) that pose undue risks to the Deposit Insurance Fund and that fail to serve the...
FDIC seeking input on AML/CFT compliance costs
The FDIC requested comment on a proposal to survey banks about the costs to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and related anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism requirements.
Senate confirms Miran for Fed post
The Senate voted 48-47 to confirm the nomination of Stephen Miran to be a Federal Reserve governor.
Miran sworn in as Fed governor
The Federal Reserve announced that Stephen Miran was sworn in as a Fed governor.
ICBA-supported bills slated for House committee markup today
ICBA urged the House Financial Services Committee to vote to advance several pro-community banks bills that the committee is scheduled to mark up today.
FedDetect announces new payment fraud tool
The Federal Reserve announced a new reporting feature for its FedDetect Anomaly Notification for FedACH Services, which helps financial institutions quickly address potential fraud.
FedNow delivering instant payments for disaster relief disbursements
FedNow announced that participants recently started receiving instant disaster-relief disbursements for their account holders.
Fed lowers interest rates by 25bp
The Federal Open Market Committee voted to lower target interest rates by 25 basis points to a range of 4.0% to 4.25%.
ICBA: Supervisory appeals reviewers should have community banking experience
ICBA told the FDIC that in revising the agency’s supervisory appeals process, the FDIC should ensure that reviewers have significant community banking experience.
ICBA Applauds OCC for Announced Updates to Organizational Structure
ICBA today expressed its strong support for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s announcement that it will reverse its ICBA-opposed decision to merge its community, midsize, and large...
House committee advances ICBA-supported bills
The House Financial Services Committee voted to advance five ICBA-supported bills designed to support community banks.
ICBA: AI can help community banks if regulated properly
ICBA told Congress it believes artificial intelligence has the potential to help community banks meet regulatory burdens and expand access to credit, but thoughtful regulation is needed.
ICBA: Community banks lead the fight against fraud
ICBA told Congress that community banks are on the front lines of fraud mitigation and are leading the response but cannot solve the problem alone.
OCC announces ICBA-advocated supervision restructuring
Following ICBA advocacy, the OCC announced it will reverse its ICBA-opposed plan to merge its community, midsize, and large bank supervision functions into a single unit.
ICBA Urges FDIC to Reject Applications Under Industrial Loan Company Loophole to Prevent Risks to Consumers
ICBA told the FDIC that it has a statutory duty to reject the applications of industrial loan companies (ILCs) that pose undue risks to the Deposit Insurance Fund and that fail to serve the...
ICBA urging comments to FDIC on raising regulatory thresholds
ICBA is calling on community bankers to submit comments this week on the FDIC’s proposal to adjust and index certain regulatory thresholds, most notably Part 363 independent audit and reporting...
Fed’s Miran: Interest rates too restrictive
New Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran said the Fed’s target interest rate is roughly 2 percentage points too tight, risking unnecessary layoffs and higher unemployment.
Treasury seeks comments on implementing GENIUS Act
The Treasury Department issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment related to its implementation of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins...
ICBA urges FDIC to reject risky ILC applications
ICBA told the FDIC that it has a statutory duty to reject the applications of industrial loan companies that pose undue risks to the Deposit Insurance Fund and fail to serve the convenience and...
ICBA Community tops 6,000 members
ICBA Community, the exclusive digital network for ICBA members, has surpassed 6,000 members.
ICBA community bankers meet with banking agencies on core processors
Ten ICBA community bankers and several staff members met with federal regulators to discuss community bank experiences and concerns with core service providers.
Credit union acquisitions of community banks continue garnering media attention
Credit union acquisitions of community banks received renewed media attention this week with a new article on the largest acquisition so far this year.
ICBA, state groups urge broad implementation of ACRE Act tax exclusion
ICBA and its affiliated state community banking associations called on the Treasury Department to ensure an ICBA-advocated tax exclusion passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act applies to as...
ICBA: FDIC should raise reporting requirement threshold
ICBA called on the FDIC to raise the threshold for auditor attestation and reporting requirements under its proposal to adjust and index certain regulatory thresholds.
ICBA-CISA hosting Cybersecurity Awareness Month tabletop exercise
ICBA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are scheduled to host a members-only tabletop exercise to support community bank cybersecurity at noon (Eastern time) Thursday, Oct. 16.
Feds prepare for Sept. 30 transition from paper checks
The federal government launched an updated webpage with information on its Sept. 30 transition away from issuing paper checks for most federal payments, while the IRS said it will publish guidance...
ICBA, groups request Treasury comment extension on GENIUS Act
ICBA and other groups called on the Treasury Department to extend the 30-day comment period for its advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the implementation of the Guiding and Establishing...
ICBA raises profile of payments fraud at interagency commission meeting
ICBA spotlighted payments fraud trends in a presentation to the Financial Education and Literacy Commission, a statutory commission chaired by the Treasury secretary and comprising the heads of 24...