Go LocalICBA: Community Banks Keep Rural America GrowingCommunity banks keep rural America growing by lending to local farmers and ranchers, ICBA said in a national Community Banking Month news release that community bankers can customize for their communities. The customizable news release is part of ICBA’s Marketing and Communications Toolkit, which offers a variety of resources to help community bankers celebrate Community Banking Month throughout April. Community bankers also can celebrate Community Banking Month by tweeting with the #BankLocally hashtag and sharing their photos with ICBA on Facebook. Additionally, community bankers coming to the nation’s capital for the Washington Policy Summit can enter a social media contest. Community bankers who tweet ICBA a photo of themselves and a #BankLocally Metro ad will be entered for one of five $50 gift cards. Read ICBA Release. Access Customizable Release. In the NewsCommunity Banking Month Buzz Makes NewsICBA’s buzz of activity surrounding Community Banking Month and the Washington Policy Summit is generating headlines. Bankrate.com reported on one of this month’s Washington, D.C.-area promotions—a Community Banking Month cupcake from local food truck SweetBites. The cupcake honors Community Banking Month and recognizes the role a Virginia community bank played in lending to and launching SweetBites. Also in the news is ICBA’s Terry Jorde, whose interview with EideBailly’s Possibilities publication outlines several of the association’s top advocacy priorities. In the interview, Jorde highlights ICBA’s Plan for Prosperity regulatory relief agenda, the too-big-to-fail problem and other key policy issues facing the industry. ICBA continues to celebrate Community Banking Month by offering custom resources for community banks and continuing its ad blitz in the nation’s capital ahead of the ICBA Washington Policy Summit. Too-Big-To-FailICBA Advocates Bill Requiring Reserve Offsetting Too-Big-To-Fail SubsidyICBA expressed its support for legislation to address subsidies enjoyed by too-big-to-fail financial institutions. The Subsidy Reserve Act of 2013 (H.R. 2266) would require too-big-to-fail firms to establish and maintain a reserve to be funded annually in the amount of their subsidy. In a letter to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), ICBA wrote that numerous studies have confirmed the existence of the too-big-to-fail subsidy. The subsidy comes in the form of lower-cost funding from investors based on the expectation that the government would rescue too-big-to-fail firms rather than allow them to fail. ICBA said it supports any and all serious and practical approaches to the subsidy problem, especially approaches that do not require complex rules and regulations. Federal ReserveICBA-Backed Bill Would Require Community Bank Presence on FedICBA offered its strong support for legislation to ensure at least one member of the Federal Reserve Board has experience as a community banker or community bank supervisor. S. 2252, sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), would require community bank representation on the board to help secure the future of the community banking industry and the customers and communities that depend on it. In a letter to Vitter, ICBA wrote that a broad range of representation on the board is critical to its effectiveness. ICBA has advocated nominees with community banking experience in recent letters to President Barack Obama and members of the Senate and in interviews with national news media. Numerous lawmakers have followed suit, including in a recent letter from a bipartisan group of senators urging the president to ensure the next Fed nominee has community banking experience. ICBA NewsWatch Today is sponsored by Holtmeyer & Monson:Earn a 12-14% premium on the sale of SBA loan guarantees in the secondary market. One big reason why community banks are taking advantage of SBA Lending in record numbers! And the ICBA recommends just one provider to make the process hassle-free for its members. Call us today to get started. ICBA Preferred Service Provider Holtmeyer & Monson does all the work, at no net cost to your bank. Call (800) 340-7304 or visit www.holtandmon.com.EconomyRetail Sales Rise 1.1 Percent in MarchRetail sales increased 1.1 percent in March, the largest gain since September 2012, the Commerce Department reported. Sales were up 3.8 percent in March from a year ago and 2.5 percent in the first quarter from the same period last year.CommentaryICBA’s Fine: April is Go Time for Community BanksCommunity bankers have a unique opportunity this month to build on recent successes by participating in both Community Banking Month and the ICBA Washington Policy Summit, ICBA President and CEO Cam Fine wrote in his latest blog post. Fine noted that ICBA is offering community bankers a Marketing and Communications Toolkit throughout April to help the industry build awareness and support nationwide. Read the Blog Post.PollTake This Week’s Quick PollTake this week’s Quick Poll on community bank congressional open houses, and view results from the previous poll on the end of Microsoft support for Windows XP. View the Archive.CompensationICBA Members Eligible for Compensation Survey DiscountICBA members are eligible for a 60 percent discount on results of the 2014 ICBA-Crowe Compensation Survey. The survey provides valuable compensation benchmarking data that allow community banks to make critical decisions about compensation, human resources and benefits. The discounted survey results will help community bankers determine whether their compensation practices are competitive and how they can control the costs of benefits. Go online to take advantage of the discount and participate in the 2014 compensation survey today. The survey closes June 2, and results will be available in August. Learn More and Take the Survey. EducationICBA Audio Call: The Role of Directors in ComplianceEvery meeting in which a community bank board of directors is informed of a compliance violation results in at least one outside director questioning whether they were really expected to know about the underlying regulation. An ICBA audio conference scheduled for 11 a.m. (Eastern time) Tuesday, April 22, will focus on approaches and structures community bankers can use to clarify to your directors what is expected of them so that they can be prepared to meet their obligations and play a useful role in the institution's compliance function. Register Online.Products and ServicesWebinar: 2013 Proven Performers AnalysisBank Intelligence Solutions from Fiserv, an ICBA Preferred Service Provider, offers a webinar this Thursday titled “2013 Proven Performers—Keys to Their Sustained Success.” This webinar provides Bank Intelligence Solutions’ annual review of the top-performing banks over the past five years and identifies the trends, best practices and strategies they employ that we can all learn from. Register Online.Products and ServicesWebinar: What’s On the Horizon in Compliance?In a 90-minute presentation at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) this Thursday, ICBA Preferred Service Provider Wolters Kluwer Financial Services will work through the compliance calendar highlighting the status of current proposed and final regulations with information about compliance changes and mandatory effective dates. From lending to mortgage to IRA/deposit to financial intelligence, this session will help ensure your compliance staff is abreast of the regulatory landscape and its impact on your community bank. Register Now.