The Story I Heard in New Orleans

It’s a funny thing. The buildup to the ICBA Community Banking LIVE® national convention is a massive undertaking, one that uses up every ounce of energy from ICBA bankers and staff. But rather than coming home exhausted, once again I’ve come home feeling more energized than before.

How does that happen? Am I delirious with exhaustion after a year of painstaking groundwork? Was I hypnotized by the menagerie of workshops, events and Expo demonstrations? I mostly steered clear of the raw oysters and hurricanes, so it’s not something I ate.

No, I’m energized by what I saw and heard from thousands of community bankers at the convention. It was the more than 3,000 members of our industry taking pride in our accomplishments, our public service, and our local, personal, community banking model.

It was ICBA Immediate Past Chairman Jack Hartings calling on every one of us to stand up, speak up and step up. It was new ICBA Chairman Rebeca Romero Rainey reminding community bankers that what we do matters. Reminding us to tell our story—to our customers, to our communities, and to the policymakers who set the rules we live by.

Witnessing that story being told is what energizes me. While every community banker tells it a little bit differently, the message of integrity, accountability and local involvement is always there. And the beauty of the community banking story is that it’s 100 percent genuine—no spin, no tricks, no double-dealing.

So don’t be shy—tell our story loud and clear. Whether it’s celebrating Community Banking Month in April, coming to the nation’s capital for the ICBA Washington Policy Summit, or simply spreading the word about what community banking means in your hometown—speak up for all to hear!

By sharing our story, we can support stronger communities, promote a more resilient economy, and protect our nation from the ills of excessive financial concentration. And after years of hard work and commitment, we can replenish in ourselves the energy and the true grit it takes to bring that story to life every day.

Thank you, community bankers, for doing what you do and for putting on another powerful and fulfilling convention.

Let’s Take Last Week’s Convention Energy to Washington

ICBA’s national convention is always an incredible experience. If you haven’t witnessed nearly 3,000 members of the community banking industry in the same place at the same time, you should make a point to do so at least once in your career.

But there was something special about this year’s convention. There was a feeling, despite all the regulatory and policy hardships facing community banks, that we are on the cusp of some truly positive breakthroughs.

You could hear it on the floor of the Expo, and at the educational workshops, and at the general session speeches. I could very well feel it from the stage—that community bankers are energized and ready to make real and positive change in Washington.

As I said to the audience from the podium, the community banking industry has made important strides in recent months, from ensuring community bank representation on the Federal Reserve Board to singlehandedly getting the administrator of the Libor index to waive new fees. What was special this year was the supreme confidence I felt from our members that we can continue to build on these successes to more fully establish tiered regulations that will preserve our nation’s community banking tradition.

In my general session speech, I said we cannot rest upon these successes, because our communities and our country depend on us to continue promoting local economic growth and opportunity. The community bank message to Washington is simple: let us do our jobs, so we can continue to help our communities thrive. We owe it not just to ourselves to keep up the fight, but to our friends and neighbors and families back home.

That is why ICBA’s upcoming Washington Policy Summit is so important. It will allow community bankers from across the country to harness the energy we felt in Orlando and take our regulatory relief message to the people who make the policies we live by.

I encourage every community banker to come to the nation’s capital for ICBA’s April 28-30 summit. Because if there’s anything as powerful as an ICBA convention, it’s watching a legion of community bankers gather on Capitol Hill to make positive change on behalf of hometowns and local communities across America.