ICBA to Community Banks: You are All Winners

2020 National Community Bank Service Awards Honor Exceptional Service During COVID-19

Washington, D.C. (Aug. 31, 2020)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced this year’s National Community Bank Service Awards by recognizing community banks across the nation for their extraordinary efforts to help small businesses, consumers, and their communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ICBA is proud to honor the extraordinary dedication and commitment of community bankers, whose spirit of service shined through when our country needed it most,” said ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey. “We are so fortunate to represent such thoughtful and compassionate community leaders, and we commend their efforts to go above and beyond, even during times of challenge.”

As consumers and small businesses in urban, suburban, and rural communities grappled with the onset of COVID-19, community bankers stepped up as America’s financial first responders and stewards of their community by:

Working nights and weekends as outsized providers of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, processing 2.8 million loans to save an estimated 33.7 million jobs.

• Donating personal protective equipment, food, and funding to essential workforces, those in need, and local charities.
• Ordering meals for staff and giving stipends to support local restaurants that were feeling the economic effects of the pandemic.
• Delivering gifts and a sense of hope when members of their community needed it most—from offering books and educational aids to children to crafting notes and care packages for seniors.

The examples of how community banks stepped up are endless. This year’s call for entries, presented by ICBA and sponsored by FIS, generated more than 100 inspirational community bank stories, a sampling of which is showcased in the September issue of ICBA’s award-winning magazine, Independent Banker.

ICBA founded the National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002 to celebrate outstanding volunteer efforts and to bring national recognition to the unmatched contributions community banks make to help sustain their communities.

About ICBA

The Independent Community Bankers of America® creates and promotes an environment where community banks flourish. With more than 50,000 locations nationwide, community banks constitute 99 percent of all banks, employ nearly 750,000 Americans and are the only physical banking presence in one in three U.S. counties. Holding more than $5 trillion in assets, nearly $4 trillion in deposits, and more than $3.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community, community banks channel local deposits into the Main Streets and neighborhoods they serve, spurring job creation, fostering innovation and fueling their customers’ dreams in communities throughout America. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org. 

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