Main Street Matters Blog

Kevin Tweddle: For community bankers, innovation is no longer a buzzword—it’s a state of mind.

The adoption of the ICBA-backed legislation is quite remarkable given that community bankers and the agricultural community have been told for most of this year that the most likely outcome would be a one-year extension, thus pushing the legislation’s enactment into the next Congress. Passing a new farm bill is good for American agriculture and for community bankers’ ability to provide credit to support their local economies. Here are a few reasons why.

With the holidays almost here, community banks recently received some good news that has been years in the making. The FDIC announced that the Deposit Insurance Fund reserve ratio has surpassed 1.35 percent, triggering approximately $750 million in assessment credits for community banks with assets under $10 billion.

The federal banking agencies recently responded to industry requests with a proposed rule to increase the threshold where bankers could use a property evaluation in lieu of a full appraisal—completed by a licensed or certified appraiser—for mortgage loans they retain in portfolio. The agencies are proposing to increase this threshold from $250,000 to $400,000.

Community bankers, you outdid yourselves in 2018. As we near the end of this significant year in community banking, it is worth taking a moment to look back and reflect on what we’ve achieved together.

Employees expect transparency and want to know their employers’ plans for growth and how they fit in. One way to address this shift in corporate ethos is to make sure that professional development is a part of your community bank’s compensation package.

Voters delivered narrow control of the House to Democrats, sharpening oversight of the Trump administration and bringing a raft of new policy initiatives. In a special post-election analysis, ICBA examines key results and what the divided Congress will mean for community banks and the 116th Congress.

ICBA this week kicked off the next chapter in our journey to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish with the launch of the ICBA ThinkTech Accelerator.

ICBA has been working with policymakers to ensure the new Subchapter S tax deduction is workable for community banks. Main Street Matters sat down with ICBA’s Alan Keller, first vice president of legislative policy, and Steve Keen, vice president of congressional relations, to check in on the issue.

Today’s cybercrime is masked in various forms and unassuming emails as criminals look to best the system for financial gain.ICBA is doing its part to help community banks address this growing threat—arming our members with information, resources and partnerships to safeguard their institutions and their customers.