New ICBA Chairman’s Message to Nation’s Community Bankers: “Our Work Matters”
New Orleans, La. (PRWEB) March 09, 2016 -- Rebeca Romero Rainey, chairman and CEO of Centinel Bank of Taos, N.M., who becomes chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America® today, urged community bankers gathered at the ICBA Community Banking LIVE® 2016 national convention to share their unique story as they work to secure a future where community banks flourish.
“Don’t let the fictions of Wall Street, the too-big-to-fail, the credit unions, FASB or the regulators tell your story,” Romero Rainey said. “You are community bankers, and that is something different, something authentic, something to be proud of, something that matters!”
Romero Rainey, a third generation community banker, recounted the genesis of her family-owned bank, which was founded by her grandfather with a dream to grow the economic viability of his community and its people. She called on her fellow bankers to inspire future generations through their ingenuity, courage and determination to meet the needs of their customers in the face of changing industry dynamics and regulatory roadblocks.
“The community bank story is “still unfolding and, in many ways, for me, it has become a great epic,” Romero Rainey said. “It’s an incredible story, really an anthology of impact, change, resilience, growth and evolution!”
Romero Rainey also encouraged banks to not only embrace, but to lead in areas calling for innovation. “The combination of FinTech and personal service is a powerful win-win for both community banks and our customers,” she said. “We can keep fighting for regulatory reform and tiered proportionate regulation, and we can be the best in our worlds and know that our communities, our families, our banks, our nation will be all the better for what we have done.”
For more information about Romero Rainey, including her biography, visit http://www.icba.org.
About ICBA: The Independent Community Bankers of America®, the nation’s voice for more than 6,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types, is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education and high-quality products and services.
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Aleis Stokes, Independent Community Bankers of America, +1 (202) 821-4457, [email protected]
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