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Michael Benedict: Community Bank Growth in a New Rate Environment
A steeper yield curve brings growth strategies back into the fold.
Oxford Bank Celebrates 140 Years of Community Support
Oxford Bank in Oxford, Mich., celebrated its 140th anniversary by building relationships, investing in the community and exercising purposeful giving.
Incoming 2025/26 ICBA Chairman Jack E. Hopkins Will Bring Small-Town Sensibility to Washington
Jack E. Hopkins, president and CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D., has been a strong voice for community banking for years.
Why Your Community Bank Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan
Community banks like Countybank face and overcome challenges every day, but what about the events banks don’t expect?
Tips for Winning the Retail Banking Game
Technology continues to evolve, and community banks must do the same. To cater to and better support young, tech-savvy customers, these local banks are partnering with fintechs to revamp their...
Preparing and Nurturing Future Bank Leaders
How can community banks foster future leaders and make sure they’re prepared to take on a managerial role? It takes a healthy dose of attention, understanding and room for trial and error.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Marching to the Beat of Community Banking
There’s a rhythm to community banking, a steadiness amid a sea of change that keeps us centered and focused on the customers and communities we serve.
Is Data the Key to Enhancing Bank Customer Relationships?
Conversion data from social media, websites and marketing platforms can help prove whether banks are successful in their personalization, outreach and differentiation.
What Banks Need to Know About the CFPB's Open Banking Rule
ICBA’s advocacy efforts have affected the outcome of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s open banking rule. Learn about these changes and understand which guidelines apply to your bank.
Find Your Rhythm at ICBA LIVE 2025
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of community bankers across the nation heading to Nashville to learn, network and enjoy all Music City has to offer.
Amplifying Nashville's Booming Businesses
ICBA members are coming to Nashville, Tenn., from across the nation for ICBA LIVE, but there are plenty of community banks already in Music City.
Growth Goals: Navigating IPOs and OTC Trading
Is your community bank thinking about launching an initial public offering or over-the-counter trading of stocks to raise liquidity?
2025 Lending Outlook: Cautious Optimism
Falling interest rates are expected to fuel borrowing activity at community banks. We examine the prospects for commercial, consumer/mortgage and ag lending in the new year.
Insights from ICBA's Minority Bank Advisory Council
Minority depository institutions ensure their communities have access to the financial services that will help them succeed in the long term.
4 Regulatory Developments Coming in 2025
Community bankers have a variety of new regulatory changes to prepare for in 2025, across agencies and banking functions. As always, forewarned is forearmed.
The Year in Compliance: 6 Notable Updates for Community Banks
New guidance and proposed rules from regulatory agencies in 2024 have kept community banks on the alert for forthcoming changes to compliance processes.
2025 Community Bank CEO Outlook: Balancing Between Deposits and Loans
While the business of community banking is ongoing, a new year is always a good time to take stock of the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Nurturing the Community Bank Ecosystem
The start of a new year brings with it opportunities, and as we enter 2025, we do so with an eye toward the potential that awaits.
Stearns Bank Lays Groundwork in Minnesota's Hmong Community
Stearns Bank is fostering trust, financial empowerment and meaningful relationships with Minnesota’s sizable Hmong community by establishing a branch in one of their cultural hubs.
How Can Community Banks Ride the Digital Wallet Wave?
Looking to drive card usage and ensure continued deposit recapture? As the use of digital wallets continues to accelerate, here’s how you can participate and benefit from this trend.
Can Software Solve Your Bank's Board Management Woes?
From scheduling and information-sharing to bolstered security, board management software could smooth the bumps in the road that come with manual management processes.
Member Milestones 2024: Steadfast Banks for Modern Times
Every time a community bank celebrates a significant anniversary, it’s a reminder that our relationship-based business model transcends time and generations.
Michael Benedict: Are We There Yet?
Take a look at the nagging persistence of portfolio mark‑to‑market.
What Is Behavioral Economics, and Could It Help Your Bank Grow?
Much of our financial decision-making is driven by cognitive biases and emotions—and behavioral economics is the science behind that.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Connected As Independent Community Banks
When you enter ICBA’s headquarters, you are greeted with a large U.S. map that contains a peg for each community bank and a singular cord linking them all together.
Rockland Trust Turns Small Business Dreams Into Reality
Through its annual Small Business, Big Dreams contest, Rockland Trust offers small businesses a chance to win up to $20,000 in funding.
How To Drive Auto Loan Opportunities
By working with local car dealers and using new lending technology, community banks can boost their presence in the auto lending sector.
Could Freelancers Solve Your Bank's Staffing Problems?
During staff shortages, leaves and short-term projects, freelancers can fulfill the needs of your community bank in a variety of areas and concentrations.
Navigating Compliance in Cannabis Banking
With potential regulatory guidance for cannabis banking on the horizon, these community banks are positioning themselves strongly and safely within this growing industry.
Keeping in Line With Equal Lending Practices
Regulators continue to crack down on unfair lending practices and redlining.
Fine Tuning the Fine Print for Bank Disclosures
As regulators continue to go through financial institution messaging with a fine-tooth comb, community banks must be diligent about maintaining best compliance and regulatory practices.
Who are ICBA's Top Lenders of 2024?
Whether it’s navigating tumultuous markets or providing employees with remote work options, flexibility is a key component in the success of this year’s ICBA top lenders.
Securing Your Cloud Banking Network
Cloud banking is rising in popularity. And as with every new technology, community bankers must learn how to limit risk and secure the platform to protect bank customers and their data.
Generative AI Fraud: How to Fight It
Generative AI allows fraudsters to easily impersonate real people and makes phishing emails even harder to detect—but your community bank can still dodge these attacks by staying vigilant.
Extend Customer Relationships With Better Business Payments
Consistently fulfilling commercial customers’ payments needs can make community banks indispensable to small businesses.
Opportunities in Infrastructure Lending for Community Banks
With $1 trillion in federal infrastructure funding rolling out across the U.S., community banks have a rare opportunity to enter or deepen their involvement in this dynamic sector.
Community Banks Financing Lake Country
In lake regions across the U.S., vacation homes, boats and other watersports vehicles abound—all of which present an undeniable opportunity for community banks.
b1Bank Paves the Way for New Businesses
Entrepreneurs find education and capital through b1Bank’s b1 Foundation, furthering its small business relationships and the community’s economic development.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Change Is Hard, Good Leadership Is Critical
The mere mention of change can send pulses racing and blood pressure rising. But while change can be hard, it’s unavoidable, and it’s only going to continue to accelerate in our evolving marketplace.
2024 National Community Bank Service Awards
Phelps County Bank and Woodsboro Bank’s outstanding charitable work has earned them recognition as ICBA’s 2024 National Community Bank Service Award winners.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Remaining Nimble Against a Litany of Regulation
Flexibility: It’s one of the characteristics that sets our community banks apart, enabling us to meet the needs of distinct communities in unique ways.
8 Budgeting Ideas That Support Growth
Smart budgeting allows for adaptation to changing financial and economic conditions. But the most important thing, say experts, is that community banks focus on investing in what’s working for them.
6 Things to Consider Before Opening a New Branch
A new branch can present new opportunities for community banks—if you plan thoroughly and calculate the risk involved.
Ease Reporting with Automation
Routine reporting can be time- and paper-intensive—but automation can take mundane tasks off your team’s plate and create all kinds of other efficiencies.
Jim Reber: Moving on Up
Bond portfolios’ yields are beginning to catch up.
Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust: The Bankers Behind the Screen
Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust strikes a balance between personalized service and quick convenience with its growing collection of Teller On Demand kiosks.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Leveling the Playing Field
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but when it comes to financial services, it doesn’t make for a fair banking environment.
How Bigger Community Banks Maintain a Local Feel
It’s in the name—community banks are all about building community. So, when they expand into other markets, how do they continue to make the authentic connections they’re known for?
Community Banks Support Ag Lending, Rain or Shine
Farming is never without its ups and downs, but whatever the weather, ag-focused community banks are there for farmers.
CFO Roundtable 2024: Preparation, Perspective, Diligence
This past year has been one of fluctuation for many community banks, amid inflation, rule changes and other uncertainties.
Community Bank Tactics for Recruiting Tech Superstars
The battle for tech talent continues to be a difficult one for community banks. But with the right approach, bank leadership can appeal to a segment of tech-savvy individuals fit for the job.
How to Prepare for a Potential 1071 Implementation
While ICBA continues to challenge the 1071 rule’s legality, community banks must prepare for its potential passage.
High Plains Bank: Making Banking Easier for Spanish Speakers
In partnership with ICBA preferred service provider Jack Henry, High Plains Bank is working to remove financial barriers and enhance the banking experience for Colorado’s large Hispanic community.
How Community Banks Can Build a Better Branch
Bank branch design is more than just aesthetics. It’s what sets the tone for every customer who visits that location.
Tips to Better Bank Vendor Management
The more services you add for customers, the more vendors you’re likely to work with. Managing what could be hundreds of relationships calls for organization and the personal touch.
Out of Office: Rachell Bilbrey
The senior vice president and director of treasury at $1.8 billion-asset Builtwell Bank in Chattanooga, Tenn., finds creative fulfillment through conceptualizing, creating and styling home interiors.
Will AI Supercharge Regtech for Community Banks?
By harnessing artificial intelligence’s power, regtech has greater potential to streamline regulatory compliance and offer cost savings for community banks that use it, say experts.
Endeavor Bank Turns Business Banking into a Conversation
Endeavor Bank’s consultative banking model boosts business banking with tailored meetings, onboarding roadmaps and community connections.
Is Your Bank Compliant With New Email Authentication Rules?
Recent updates regarding email standards will require additional oversight from community banks to ensure customers receive important email communications.
Can Faster Payments Lead to Faster Fraud?
Community banks can thwart criminals’ attempts to scam people via instant payments by deploying multilayered controls, including educating customers on how to not fall for scams.