Setting the Tone in Washington

For decades Wall Street mega firms and their Washington, D.C. trade group allies have set the financial policy tone in the nation’s capitol. But beginning in early 2008, the 8,000 community banks of this nation and their national trade group ICBA sent Wall Street and America a message: This ICBA will NOT yield to Wall Street – not this time. Not on our watch.

We will touch every community bank in the country and ask them to unite and fight for the rich financial diversity of this nation. Community bankers everywhere are standing up and telling Washington, D.C. policy makers that this is OUR financial system too. And we will fight to preserve our place in it.

Decades of letting Wall Street set the policy tone in Washington, D.C. are over because ICBA, our state community banking associations and community banks nationwide will never again allow themselves to be treated as second class citizens in the financial world.