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Main Street Matters Blog

Find out what's happening in communities across America, from grassroots advocacy efforts, to fintech innovations and everyday successes of Main Street banks.

Main Street Matters

Amplify Your Bank's Rhythm at ICBA LIVE

Sep 24, 2024
Leading a community bank means balancing countless responsibilities, managing your team, serving your customers, and keeping pace with the tempo of innovation in an ever-changing financial landscape. When your familiar rhythms are being tested daily, we understand how hard it can be to hit a new note.

Preparing Your Debit Card Program for What’s Next

May 20, 2024
In today’s environment, the proverb, “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” serves as a standard mantra for community banks. The regulatory landscape hurls new challenges, and community banks pivot, adjust, and act to ensure that, no matter the outcome, the best interests of their communities and customers remain the top priority.

Latest Banking Agency Review Demands Meaningful Impact on Expanding Regulatory Burdens

May 10, 2024
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.

Powering Potential through Community Bank Innovation

May 2, 2024
Bankers are operating in a fast-paced world, with solutions addressing customer growth and engagement. This technology can be a key driver to help them become more competitive; however, these solutions can only help if deployed strategically.

‘Pig butchering’ links to crypto demand policy response

Apr 11, 2024
“Pig butchering” scams — in which victims invest increasing sums in supposedly legitimate virtual currency enterprises before being conned out of their money — depend on cryptocurrencies to function. But the connections between crypto and this skyrocketing scam run much deeper than the fake investments that ensnare consumers.

‘Pig butchering’ crypto scams a growing concern

Apr 11, 2024
A new form of investment scam has skyrocketed in recent years as criminal syndicates target consumers through online channels. Called “pig butchering,” this new scam is increasingly relevant, including among the consumers and communities that community banks serve.

Community Banks are Fighting Check Fraud on the Front Lines

Mar 20, 2024
Banks and their customers continue to be challenged by a rise in fraud and scams across payment types. Most significantly, check fraud has emerged over the past several years as a leading concern.

ICBA Center for Innovation: The Next Chapter in Fostering Community Bank-Fintech Partnerships

Feb 16, 2024
It’s an exciting time for ICBA Innovation, culminating in the long-awaited opening of ICBA’s Center for Innovation—an initiative more than a year in the making with the promise to help drive community bank innovation.

Six Payment Trends Shaping Community Bank Priorities in 2024

Jan 10, 2024
To ease the regulatory and economic forces pressuring margins and embrace new payments opportunities, community banks should focus on six key trends this year to drive their payments plans and activities

ICBA’s Community Bank Mission Critical to 2023 Successes

Dec 18, 2023
At a time when consequential failures at large, risky banks led to major media outlets erroneously directing blame to Main Street community banks, ICBA was there defending and promoting the community banking business model—differentiating community banks when it was needed most.