Category: From the Chairman

One of our greatest assets is our reputation as relationship bankers. When things get tough, people want to be able to talk to their banker.

People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and community banks provide that opportunity.

FedNow can be another positive differentiator for our nation’s community banks, but we must be ready for this real-time service and its 24/7/365 requirements.

The knowledge we have cultivated over years of circumventing attacks means that we have a depth of understanding about cyber and data security that the general population doesn’t—and those are lessons we can share.

Managing compliance is a role that community bankers take more seriously than any other segment of the financial services industry.

Community bank employees fill a special role, unlike no other position in the market today, and we must do a better job of telling that story.

Working through any difficulty or crisis at your community bank won’t be a walk in the park, but it may lead to an experience for which you’re truly grateful.

Community continuation is not about checking a regulatory box; it means putting a name to the people who will be the future of our banks.

Focusing on the ‘whys’ helps employees see how decisions fit together in a perfect puzzle for high-performing success, and it motivates them to be contributors to that success.

My bank’s tagline is ‘Where dreams meet solutions,’ and it serves as my guiding inspiration at the bank and, now, at the national level. As community bankers, our customers depend on us to keep their dreams alive.