The propensity of federal banking regulators to enact new regulatory burdens on community banks in response to the risky behavior of the largest institutions—a decades-long problem for local lenders—has only accelerated in recent months.

ICBA and community banks have been on a rollercoaster since the March 10 failure of Silicon Valley Bank, but we have once again proven to be strong and resilient. And we have done it by working together on behalf of our industry and the local communities we serve.

With Labor Day behind us and summer coming to its unofficial end, now is a good time to reflect on what the community banking industry has achieved so far this year in the advocacy arena—and what remains to be done this fall. Fortunately for the local communities we serve, community banks have followed the historic successes of 2018 with many notable policy victories.

The nation's community banks are bolstering their farm lending—demonstrating once again why policymakers should work to strengthen community banks, which stick with their customers and communities in good times and bad.

As advocated by ICBA since the Volcker Rule was first proposed a decade ago, this additional source of regulatory burden no longer applies to the vast majority of community banks.

Community banks' dedication to bipartisan economic principles that expand access to financial services shines through in ICBA’s new policy platform: “Community Focus 2020: The Community Bank Agenda for Expanding Economic Opportunity.”

With the holidays almost here, community banks recently received some good news that has been years in the making. The FDIC announced that the Deposit Insurance Fund reserve ratio has surpassed 1.35 percent, triggering approximately $750 million in assessment credits for community banks with assets under $10 billion.

Just as community bankers establish symbiotic relationships with their customers and communities, ICBA and the community banking industry maintain strong bonds with policymakers of all political stripes who write the laws and regulations we live by.

Although August is typically a sleepy month in D.C., policymakers were still hard at work last month—which meant that the ICBA’s regulatory affairs team was also hard at work keeping up with the latest developments.

The push for regulatory relief continues. We have a host of issues ahead of us, and community banker participation is essential in bringing them to the forefront of Congress members’ and regulators’ attention.

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 the House of Representatives.

With the 2018 ICBA Capital Summit just weeks away, I’ve never been more impressed by the strength of community banks!

With members of Congress back in their districts this week for the Independence Day recess, ICBA’s regulatory relief initiative remains in full swing. Community bankers can do their part by using ICBA’s Be Heard grassroots website to call on their lawmakers to support the CLEAR Relief Act.

Community bankers have many reasons to stand proud after last week’s seminal ICBA Capital Summit in Washington.

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 Washington to advance the cause of community banking.