Go Local - Community Banking MonthICBA Celebrates Community Banking Month - Join Us in D.C.!ICBA is running a promotional blitz in the Washington, D.C. area to encourage consumers and policymakers to pause and think about the vital role community banks play on the national stage and in the local communities they serve. Ads running on D.C. buses, trains and a key Capitol Hill Metro station spread the community bank message and encourage consumers to find a community bank on ICBA’s Community Bank Locator. The ads will run through the ICBA Washington Policy Summit, slated for April 29-May 2 in the nation’s capital. The Washington Policy Summit, is your opportunity to meet face-to-face with policymakers and hear remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg and Senate Banking Committee members Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). More Information: There is no cost to attend this very important event. Make your voice heard in Washington and register today. Visit Twitter and search under #BankLocally to see some of the advertising. Go Local - Community Banking Month Community Banking Month Tool Kit ICBA has created a customizable toolkit that your community bank can use to celebrate Community Banking Month this April. The toolkit includes customizable news releases, marketing ideas, and sample social media posts and graphics that community banks can use in their communities. More Information: Access the kit here. ICBA Member Access is sponsored by QR Lending: You too can take advantage of profitable opportunities in the housing market. With an expert partner, your bank can run a profitable, compliant and service-oriented mortgage operation – no hassles. Call (888)766-4734 and ask about the benefits of your own Dedicated Loan Coordinator. Or register for our webinar on Thursday, April 17 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time). Equal Housing Lender. www.qrlending.com/icba Go Local - Financial Literacy MonthFinancial Literacy Resources for Community BanksThere are so many great things to celebrate in April. Did you know that it is also Financial Literacy Month? ICBA is pleased to promote the following financial education programs that can help community banks educate consumers and small business owners about how to improve their money management skills. Banking On Kids - Through the Banking On Kids program, community banks can partner with local elementary and middle schools to create student-run banks that operate within the schools. FDIC MoneySmart - FDIC’s MoneySmart program is a complimentary education program designed to bring more consumers into traditional banking relationships. The instructor-led training modules are geared to young adults, adults and small business owners. Jump$tart Coalition -The Jump$tart Coalition is a diverse group of financial education stakeholders whose organizations work together to educate and prepare our nation’s youth for financial success. Jump$tart’s online Clearing House is the nation’s most comprehensive collection of financial education resources suitable for students in pre-kindergarten through college. Practical Money Skills for Life - Visa has partnered with leading consumer advocates, educators and financial institutions to develop the Practical Money Skills program. Community banks can access free educational resources including comic books, games, personal finance articles and lesson plans. More Information: How does your community bank advocate for better financial literacy in its community? Send an email to Audrey.Cipriano@icba.org with your story. EducationWebinar: The Catalyst for Thinking “Outside the Box” is a Strategic Financial Planning ProcessThis webinar features economist and former commercial banker Dr. Tom Parliament and will review the strategic financial planning process to help you develop an approach that will work for your community bank. Parliament will examine a host of competitive lending strategies and offer suggestions to improve your ALCO process. When: Tuesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event.   EducationWebinar: Social Media and Disaster RecoveryDuring an emergency, it’s imperative that those within your organization know how to communicate quickly and effectively. In recent years, social media platforms like Twitter have been harnessed to spread news and updates during recent disasters across the globe. Join ICBA Preferred Service Provider Agility Recovery to learn the steps and best practices for developing your organization’s strategy for crisis communications utilizing social media. The session will address the value of social media and its use in situations related to both isolated incidents and regional disasters. Discussion will focus on best practices and simple steps any organization can take to build their presence in these online channels, and ways to bolster your crisis communications plan by integrating social media as a central element. When: Wednesday, April 9 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event. EducationAudio Conference: Call ReportEach year the Call Report experiences revisions and 2014 is no different. This audio conference will review the 2014 revisions related to remittance transfers, trade names, deposit accounts intended for consumers and regulatory capital components. It is extremely important that you understand what information you will have to gather as a preparer of the call report. The conference will not only focus on 2014 revisions but a quick review of 2013 revisions and also time available for questions and answers. When: Thursday, April 10 at 11 a.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event. EducationWebinar: Quarterly Briefing on Addressing Regulatory ChangesContinuity Control, ICBA’s new Preferred Service Provider, is hosting a free webinar, RegAdvisor Quarterly Regulatory Compliance Briefing,  which will provide an explanation or the details of Q1 2014 regulatory changes. This session is intended to provide clarification of the compliance requirements, deadlines and an estimate of the workload and effort your teams will need to spend to comply. When: Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event. Education Webinar: How to Earn CRA Credit By Combating Elder AbuseICBA and the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation are hosting an upcoming webinar on the nationally acclaimed Senior Crimestoppers program to protect seniors from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Funding for this program comes exclusively from the banking industry and can serve as an easy way for community banks to earn valuable Communities Reinvestment Act credit. When: Wednesday, April 16 at 11 a.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event. Education Webinar: 2013 Proven Performers Analysis Bank Intelligence Solutions from Fiserv, a Preferred Service Provider is pleased to offer the webinar, 2013 Proven Performers – Keys to Their Sustained Success. This webinar provides our annual review of the top performing banks over the last five years and identifies the trends, best practices and strategies they employ that we can all learn from. When: Thursday, April 17 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time). More Information: Register for this event.