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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

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Lending

Jul 22, 2020
Well before coronavirus saturated our headlines, community banks accounted for 60 percent of small-business lending, served 58 percent of small businesses nationwide as their primary lender, and lent over $1.5 trillion to small businesses in 2019 alone.

Falls Fintech: A Case Study in Launching a Bank-Based Accelerator

Jul 20, 2020
Central Payments, the payments arm of the $238 million-asset Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC) never imagined that a few days into their Falls Fintech accelerator program, they’d have to transition to a fully virtual experience. But due to COVID-19, that’s exactly what happened.

Stats Offer Perspective on Community Bank PPP Loan Impact

Jul 17, 2020
It’s no surprise that community banks have been financial first responders during the coronavirus pandemic. Their mission, vision and commitment to community is well-known, but research reveals the true extent of their impact.

Capitalizing on Bank-Centric Bill Payment Opportunity

Jul 13, 2020
With U.S. consumers paying approximately 15 billion bills valued at $4 trillion annually, nearly 30 percent of all consumer spending comes in the form of bill payment. This market presents significant opportunities for community banks.

Staying Connected Amid COVID-19

Jul 7, 2020
Crisis response is not a new concept for community banks that have weathered economic recessions, natural and man-made disasters, and previous pandemics—all of which presented unique challenges that tested the industry’s resiliency and provided valuable lessons

SBA releases loan-level PPP data

Jul 6, 2020
The SBA and Treasury Department just publicly released loan-by-loan information about Paycheck Protection Program loans, as they said they would on June 19.

Mapping out career paths

Jul 2, 2020
Given today’s competitive labor market and rising employee expectations, finding the right talent for your bank can be challenging. So, why not look internally and focus on the human capital that you already have?

Community Banks Respond to Americans’ Needs

Jun 24, 2020
While we have never before experienced anything quite like COVID-19, we can identify a bright spot: community banks rising to serve the needs of their communities.

Community Banks Continue to Respond to Small Business Needs

Jun 22, 2020
Literally overnight — the night of March 26 — community banks answered the call to support small businesses fighting to survive COVID-19. In that one day, 3,700 institutions became new Small Business Administration lenders to support the Paycheck Protection Program.

Short, Sharp, and Spotty: What to Expect from the Coronavirus Recession and How Community Banks Can Help

Jun 22, 2020
With irrefutable evidence that the United States is in a recession, zealous market watchers are now searching for clues as to its size and scope. At ICBA, we took the liberty of crunching the numbers in search of some answers, and our conclusions point to a short, sharp, and spotty recession.