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The ICBA Newsroom collects and centralizes all the NewsWatch Today articles, press releases, blog posts, advocacy letters and other news that impacts community bankers.

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Lucas White: Why Advocacy Should Be a Top Priority in 2025

“We have a new administration and elected officials who need to fully understand the community bank difference.”
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Out of Office: Kati LeBreton

The vice president and director of P.O.W.E.R., a program for women in business, at $1 billion-asset Fidelity Bank in New Orleans, hosts The Big Bad Boot, a podcast about true crime, urban legends and spooky Louisiana lore with her brother, Caleb Morse.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Community Bank Delaware Salutes Space Heroes

Last July, Community Bank Delaware in Lewes, Del., donated $3,000 to American Legion Post 28, an organization branch founded in 1920 to support local veterans, military personnel, their families and the broader community.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Rebeca Romero Rainey: Nurturing the Community Bank Ecosystem

“Without a doubt, advocacy serves as the most critical piece of our mission in 2025. With a shift in control in Congress and the White House, our focus will be on regulatory relief and proportionate rulemaking.”
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Charles Potts: The Innovations We'll See in 2025

They say the only constant is change, and 2025 is shaping up to prove that point. We are in for a dynamic year, influenced by customer demand, product accessibility and partner potential.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

How to Balance Human and Machine While Using Chatbots

Community banks’ reputations are built on personal connection. But with an effective chatbot, banks can free up staff to focus on customers’ more complex needs. It just takes effective training.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

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.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Commercial Bank of Mott Helps Fund a Home Base for the Community

The Commercial Bank of Mott set out to plan, fund and build a community center that will serve as a new hub for all locals to enjoy.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

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.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker   Payments 

Powering Potential: ICBA Certification Q&A with Arlene Cooper

Arlene Cooper, internal audit officer at CNB Bank in Carlsbad, N.M., is a certified community bank internal auditor (CCBIA) and certified community bank compliance officer (CCBCO). She shares insights on compliance challenges and her approach to upholding ethical standards at CNB Bank.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Lindsay LaNore: 8 Healthy Habits for Conflict Resolution

January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker  

Strategies for Consumer-Centric Banking: an Exclusive Bud Webinar

SPONSORED | Bud Financial has joined community bankers for an Independent Banker webinar where we’ve explored the actions they would take to drive success, revenue and customer engagement.
January 01, 2025 | Independent Banker   Growing the Community 
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ICBA Applauds Congressional Passage of Funding Bill with Farm Bill, Farm Aid

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement applauding the inclusion of a farm bill extension and a $10 billion farm aid package in the year-end continuing resolution.
December 21, 2024 | Press Release   Agriculture Farm Bill 

ICBA encourages grassroots calls on farm aid package

ICBA is urging community bankers to call their members of Congress to urge inclusion of an emergency farm aid package in a final funding bill when Congress approves a continuing resolution, or CR.
December 20, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Farm Bill 

’80s-themed ICBA PAC auction set for ICBA LIVE

ICBA PAC is hosting its 36th Annual Auction Fundraiser on Wednesday, March 12, during ICBA LIVE in Nashville. Tickets for the ’80s-themed event go on sale Friday, Jan. 3.
December 20, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

Agencies adjust CRA asset thresholds

Federal regulators announced the 2025 updated asset-size thresholds used to define "small banks" and "intermediate small banks" under their current Community Reinvestment Act regulations.
December 20, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Compliance CRA 

ICBA urging congressional outreach on spending package’s farm provisions

ICBA is calling on community bankers to contact their members of Congress and urge support for including a farm bill extension and farm aid package in a pending end-of-year funding bill.
December 19, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Farm Bill 

Fed cuts rates by 25 basis points

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to cut target interest rates by 25 basis points due to an easing labor market and inflation moving toward its 2% goal.
December 19, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Federal Reserve 

CFPB targets credit card reward programs

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a circular warning that some credit card companies operating rewards programs may be breaking the law.
December 19, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   CFPB 

ICBA applauds farm aid package, farm bill extension

ICBA applauded the initial inclusion of a farm bill extension and a $10 billion farm aid package in the year-end continuing resolution before Congress.
December 18, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Farm Bill 

ICBA-advocated trigger leads bill passes Senate

ICBA-advocated legislation that would protect the financial privacy of mortgage applicants passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
December 18, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Congressional Matters 

Romero Rainey: Credit unions should pay taxes—period

Credit unions should pay taxes, as The Wall Street Journal rightly pointed out in a recent editorial, ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said in a LinkedIn post.
December 18, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Credit Unions 

ICBA urges Congress to pass emergency farm aid

ICBA called on Congress to pass a farm bill extension and a farm aid package in addition to assisting citizens recovering from weather-related disasters.
December 17, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Congressional Matters 

ICBA Applauds CR Farm Aid Package, Farm Bill Extension

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey today issued the following statement applauding the initial inclusion of a farm bill extension and a $10 billion farm aid package in the year-end continuing resolution.
December 17, 2024 | Press Release   Congressional Matters Agriculture Farm Bill 

OCC: Commercial credit risk stabilizing

The OCC reported that the federal banking system remains sound but said it expects banks to remain diligent and adhere to prudent risk management practices across all risk areas.
December 17, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   OCC 

ICBA: New ACH proposals are burdensome, risky

ICBA said it opposes the addition of a fourth daily same-day Automated Clearing House processing window because it would be burdensome for community banks by adding late-day operational stress, accounting challenges, and settlement risk.
December 17, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   ACH 

ICBA to Congress: Pass Farm Bill Extension and Farm Aid Before Adjournment

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey today issued the following statement urging Congress to pass a farm bill extension and a farm aid package in addition to assisting citizens recovering from weather-related disasters.
December 16, 2024 | Press Release   Agriculture Farm Bill 

ICBA announces ThinkTECH Accelerator Cohort

ICBA announced the selected companies for its eighth ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Program (AP8). The solutions represent vendor management, check fraud prevention, integration, digital banking for families, conversational AI, and commercial lending.
December 16, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

FCC eliminates use of Weiss ratings as standard for banks

The Federal Communications Commission eliminated the use of the Weiss ratings as the standard for U.S. banks to be considered “acceptable to FCC” for purposes of issuing qualifying program letters of credit.
December 16, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   FDIC 

Report: Gaps in cross-border payment regulation open the door for fraud

Inconsistencies in regulations on cross-border payments create opportunities for fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit financial activities, according to the Financial Stability Board.
December 16, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Fraud 

ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator Cohort Revealed

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced the selected companies for its eighth ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program (AP8).
December 16, 2024 | Press Release  

Report: Most fraud complaints involve crypto

Most fraud-related complaints involve fraudulent crypto investments initiated through social media contacts that later develop into relationship confidence scams, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
December 13, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Digital Assets 

CFPB issues final rule capping overdraft fees

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule on overdraft services that will cap fees at banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets.
December 13, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   CFPB Compliance 

Community bank net income rises in Q3

Community bank net income rose 6.7% in the third quarter on higher net interest income and was up 3.9% from a year ago, according to the FDIC’s latest Quarterly Banking Profile.
December 13, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   FDIC 

ICBA Strongly Opposes CFPB Overdraft Rule

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey today issued the following statement on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final rule on overdraft services.
December 12, 2024 | Press Release   CFPB Overdraft Services 

ICBA remembers Past Chairman Bill McQuillan

ICBA Past Chairman William "Bill" Leo McQuillan died in Lakewood, Colo., on Dec. 4 at the age of 76. The former president and CEO of City National Bank in Greeley, Neb., served as Nebraska Independent Community Bankers chairman in 1988-1989 and ICBA chairman in 1998-1999.
December 12, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Bank Director/Board Member 

Wall Street Journal editorial: Tax credit unions

Northwest Federal Credit Union’s stadium naming-rights deal with the Washington Commanders points to the need for the federal government to tax credit unions, according to a new Wall Street Journal column.
December 12, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Credit Unions 

OCC’s Hsu lauds ICBA check fraud efforts

ICBA and many banks are going the extra mile to fight fraud, but banks and industry trade groups cannot effectively address fraud all by themselves, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu said.
December 12, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Fraud 

ICBA tells Fed to improve discount window, protect FHLBs

The Federal Reserve should embrace technology to improve its discount window and preserve the role of the Federal Home Loan Banks in providing liquidity, ICBA told the agency.
December 11, 2024 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Federal Reserve 

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