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Preparing New Directors for Community Bank Boards
Serving on a community bank board carries serious responsibility. This guide explains how a structured onboarding process helps new directors understand banking fundamentals, governance...
Rhonda Thomas-Whitley: Why Risk-Based BSA Compliance Matters for Banks
BSA compliance is critical to financial security, but it works best when oversight aligns with risk. Learn how outdated thresholds, inconsistent exams, and evolving guidance affect community banks,...
These San Diego Community Banks are Powering Local Business
San Diego’s community banks are fueling growth across life sciences, small business, and underserved communities. Three ICBA member banks share how local decision-making and mission-driven banking...
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 Washington, D.C. (Feb. 2, 2026)—Following today’s meeting at the White House on crypto market structure legislation, the...
FFIEC announces updates to liquidity web pages
FFIEC announces updates to liquidity web pages The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council announced it is updating the Uniform Bank Performance Report’s Liquidity & Funding page and the...
ICBA: Latest national trust bank charter application highlights need for moratorium
ICBA: Latest national trust bank charter application highlights need for moratorium After the latest nonbank entity applied for a national trust bank charter, ICBA reiterated its call for the OCC...
ICBA, others oppose PayPal’s ILC application
ICBA, others oppose PayPal’s ILC application ICBA and the Bank Policy Institute said the FDIC should not issue deposit insurance to any industrial loan company applicant, including PayPal Bank,...
ICBA attends White House meeting on digital assets
ICBA attends White House meeting on digital assets ICBA and other groups met with administration officials at the White House to discuss concerns with digital assets market structure legislation....
Bank financial officers report tighter standards for commercial, industrial loans
Bank financial officers report tighter standards for commercial, industrial loans Respondents to the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of senior financial officers reported: Tighter lending standards...
February marketing tools available
February marketing tools available ICBA’s Marketing Resource Center features ready-to-use marketing tools that community bankers can use to celebrate February events. February Assets: The MRC’s...
Independent Banker highlights the power of CDFIs
Independent Banker highlights the power of CDFIs The latest Independent Banker magazine highlights why the mission of community development financial institutions and minority deposit institutions...
Fed finalizes scenarios for annual stress test
Fed finalizes scenarios for annual stress test The Federal Reserve finalized the hypothetical scenarios for its annual stress test for large banks. Details: The Fed: Said the final scenarios are...
CDFI Fund announces TLR webinars
CDFI Fund announces TLR webinars The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund announced its schedule for monthly Transaction Level Report webinars. Details: The CDFI Fund said the webinars...
SBA announces stricter residency requirements
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...
Treasury’s Bessent expresses support for community bank regulatory relief
Treasury’s Bessent expresses support for community bank regulatory relief Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted regulatory relief for community banks during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Statement:...
Washington enacts tax on credit unions that acquire banks
Washington enacts tax on credit unions that acquire banks Washington state recently enacted a tax on credit unions that acquire or merge with a bank. Details: Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Washington...
CDFI Fund receives full allocation for 2026
CDFI Fund receives full allocation for 2026 The spending bill signed into law this week fully funds the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund for 2026. Details: The Consolidated...
Bessent recognizes concerns with stablecoin yield in testimony
Bessent recognizes concerns with stablecoin yield in testimony Appearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged concerns about crypto entities paying...
Ahead of House vote, ICBA urges support for community bank reg relief
Ahead of House vote, ICBA urges support for community bank reg relief Ahead of House vote, ICBA urges support for community bank reg relief ICBA urged members of Congress to pass the Housing for...
Consumer credit up in 2025, Q4, and December
Consumer credit up in 2025, Q4, and December 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...
USDA forecasts decline in farm income
USDA forecasts decline in farm income 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. 2026-02-09
FDIC extends comment period on stablecoin rule
FDIC extends comment period on stablecoin rule 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...
ICBA, farm groups urge no cuts to crop insurance
ICBA, farm groups urge no cuts to crop insurance ICBA and 60 farm groups opposed cuts to crop insurance during the budget process. Details: In letters to the administration and congressional...
ICBA expresses concerns about ‘skinny’ master accounts
ICBA expresses concerns about ‘skinny’ master accounts ICBA told policymakers it has significant concerns about expanding direct Federal Reserve account access to institutions that operate outside...
Community Banks Head to San Diego for ICBA LIVE 2026 Next Month
Community Banks Head to San Diego for ICBA LIVE 2026 Next Month The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) will host ICBA LIVE 2026, the nation’s premier educational and networking event...
ICBA Applauds House Passage of Housing for the 21st Century Act
ICBA Applauds House Passage of Housing for the 21st Century Act Washington, D.C. (Feb. 9, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) applauded the House of Representatives for...
CFTC warns of relationship investment scams around Valentine’s Day
CFTC warns of relationship investment scams around Valentine’s Day The Commodity Futures Trading Commission warned consumers that Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for criminals to use relationship...
Washington credit union tax continues making news
Washington credit union tax continues making news Washington state’s recently enacted tax on credit unions that acquire banks continues making news. Background: Effective immediately, the...
House passes ICBA-supported regulatory relief bill
House passes ICBA-supported regulatory relief bill The House of Representatives passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644), which includes ICBA-advocated community bank regulatory...
ICBA Urges Congress to Provide Additional Farm Aid
ICBA Urges Congress to Provide Additional Farm Aid Washington, D.C. (Feb. 10, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today strongly urged Congress to quickly pass bipartisan...
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...