Community Banking Month: Let ICBSD Help Your Bank Celebrate!

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April is here, and with that so is Community Banking Month! Every year the ICBSD recognizes April as Community Banking Month, a time to recognize the unique spirit and unwavering commitment which makes YOU, our independent community bank members, the foundation of your cities and towns across the state.  We are offering the below ‘toolkit’ as a resource to help tell your bank’s unique story, the tremendously positive impact you have on your community, and to highlight the financial security of banking locally. Please join us in celebrating Community Banking Month 2022! Together, we can bring focus and awareness to the many ways independent community banks are the cornerstone of their community!

PRESS RELEASES, BLOG POST & CELEBRATION IDEAS

The following customizable news releases are available to you as a member benefit. Your bank can distribute the releases to local media within your communities to reassure consumers amid the coronavirus outbreak. The releases spotlight the safety and soundness of the banking system and deposit insurance while showcasing the strength and resiliency of the community banking industry.

FUN FACTS 

We encourage you to share the following facts, courtesy of ICBA, as posts on social media:

  • Community banks are locally owned and operated.
  • An independent community bank is a locally owned and operated bank, where bank deposits are made in the area where the bank is located.
  • Assets may range from less than $10 million to $10 billion or more. Community banks constitute 96.8%of all banks.
  • Community banks are the primary source of lending for small businesses and farms. Even though they compose just 10% of the banking industry by assets, community banks with less than $1 billion in assets made 37.5% of outstanding bank loans to small businesses.
  • Research has shown average fees for checking accounts and other depository services are lower at community banks than at large, multi-state institutions.
  • Community banks reinvest deposits almost exclusively within their local communities. Nearly 95% of the bank’s investment is put back in your community through residential mortgages, small business loans, agricultural and student loans.Banks are led by local people — neighbors, family, and friends are employed by local community banks.
  • Because community banks are themselves small businesses, they understand the needs of small-business owners.
  • Community banks’ boards of directors are made up of local citizens who want to advance the interests of the towns and cities where they live and where their banks do business.
  • Community banks offer a wide range of banking services and products designed to meet the needs of consumers and businesses.

INDEPENDENT & PROUD OF IT DIGITAL RESOURCES 

We are also offering the the below images for your use on social media, website and in your bank lobby.