I’m speaking of the municipal bond market. It is a maxim of community banking that the more munis a bank owns, the higher performing the portfolio will be.

Cybersecurity should be a foundational element of any community bank, but do you really need to be insured for it—especially as premiums rise? We spoke to experts to learn more about this type of insurance.

We (community banks) used to be the department store of financial services. From cosmetics to kitchenware, whatever you needed could be found under the same roof. So, we really didn’t mind much when, one by one, niche providers started to siphon off specific lines of business.

Remaining aware of developments in the digital assets industry is critical as crypto entities seek greater access to the traditional financial system and policymakers in Congress deliberate paths forward.

Whether offering solutions that automatically track and analyze customers’ spending habits, utilizing time-saving cloud technologies, deftly refinancing agricultural loans that help farm customers invest in drones, or supporting one-of-a-kind businesses that serve unique market segments, community banks are critical partners to their customer’s success.

With traditional backup and recovery systems at risk of compromise in the event of a malware attack on IT systems, ICBA helped found the Sheltered Harbor initiative to protect against cybercrime.

AI technology is growing exponentially. While it can bring many advantages to community banks, some bankers may have concerns about possible security issues. So, why take the risk if your bank is performing well?

Did You Know? Did you know it is renewal time for Standard Plan, Custom Plan, and Bank Compliance Bundle subscribers? You should have already received invoices via mail and email.

Sixty percent of all fintech startups are intersecting with the payments space in some manner. Increasingly, they’re partnering with banks or targeting their offerings directly to support community bank operations. Cue the rise of the banking- and payments-as-a-service relationship as exhibit A.

Innovation, like time, is constantly moving forward, which is why even before we wrapped up our 2023 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program, plans were well underway for the first of three ICBA ThinkTECH Solutions Forums this year.