ICBA and Community Banks Kick Off Community Banking Month
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 30, 2015 -- The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and the nation’s more than 6,000 community banks will recognize ICBA Community Banking Month in April—a month dedicated to celebrating the longstanding tradition of local hometown community banking. Throughout the month, ICBA will encourage consumers, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers to learn more about community banks, their role in building stronger communities and the quality products and services that they provide—all with the relationship banking experience that customers can expect from a local financial institution.
“Community banks are instrumental in building better communities, as they continue to lend to local residents, entrepreneurs and agricultural enterprises—all of which keep America’s rural, suburban and urban communities growing and thriving,” said ICBA Chairman Jack Hartings, president and CEO of The Peoples Bank Co., Coldwater, Ohio. “Community banks exist to serve the needs of their customers and communities, many have been around for decades, and more than 2,500 have been in business for more than 100 years. This time-honored business of community banks is something to be proud of and celebrate. ICBA commends community banks for their continued support and advocacy of consumers and Main Street America. ”
Community banks are relationship lenders that flourish when their customers and communities do the same. Taking care of customers and looking out for the best interest of local communities is the community banking business model. Across the nation, community banks operate 52,000 locations, employ 700,000 Americans and hold $3.6 trillion in assets, $2.9 trillion in deposits and $2.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community.
“Community banks are one-of-a-kind, as are the customers, hometowns and Main Streets they serve on a daily basis. ICBA Community Banking Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate the unique and critical role they play in our local hometowns,” said Hartings.
To highlight the unique and vital role that community banks serve in their communities, ICBA plans to highlight a community bank on its website each weekday in April. Each profile will showcase the unique traits, stories and characteristics inherent to community banks.
To find your local community bank, visit ICBA’s Community Bank Locator at http://www.banklocally.org. To follow the conversation on ICBA Community Banking Month, follow the hashtag #BankLocally on Twitter.
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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