Fraud attempts are on the rise, with consumers reportedly losing more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023. Artificial intelligence can make these attempts more sophisticated and harder to identify. So how can community bankers protect their customers from the devastating effects of fraud? Listen as host Madison Caplinger and Scott Augenbaum, retired …

The mission of ICBB has always been to protect, promote, and support the community banking model. The Community Bankers Association of Ohio has a similar mission, and they just celebrated their 50th anniversary. To celebrate with them, Madison Caplinger and Derek Hetherington to discuss with Aza Bittinger, president of the CBAO, the evolution of th…

This episode comes live from our 2024 annual credit conference on May 9, 2024. How can we build tomorrow’s lenders and preserve the future of community banking? Host Madison Caplinger discusses this topic with a panel including Maggie Abney, director of Eastern Kentucky University’s Evans Banking and Financial Services program; Jamie Beaulieu, seni…

What is a brand? And how does a community bank build one that resonates with their customers and stands the test of time? Host Madison Caplinger and Amber Farley, partner at Financial Marketing Solutions in Nashville, discussed this topic. Amber is a faculty member for the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, ABA Banking Marketing School, and a high…

In the first market update episode of 2024, host Madison Caplinger discusses events and trends of the first quarter with Brandon Feltner, chief lending officer at ICBB; Eli Barber, chief finance officer at ICBB; and Scott Kimel from FNBB/ICBB Capital Markets. Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts. Helpful Links Register for our Credit Conf…

Our upcoming annual credit conference, “Breaking Barriers: Adapt, Evolve, Overcome,” will feature insights from experts in credit and lending. One of those experts, Dev Strischek of Devon Risk Advisory Group, joined the podcast to discuss his presentation topic: “Evaluating a Borrower’s Ability to Survive Inflation and Recession.” Listen here, or w…

To wrap up Women in Banking Month, this episode of The Correspondent features the ABA’s Most Powerful Women in Banking for 2023. Jill Castilla has been a prominent figure in community banking nationally since working with Mark Cuban in 2020 to help her customers at Citizens Bank of Edmond in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has since founded an online bank fo…

March is Women’s History Month, and at ICBB, we’ve declared it women in banking month. This month’s episodes of The Correspondent will highlight women who are making waves in banking. In this episode, host Madison Caplinger has a conversation with Ilaria Rawlins and Lisa Berger, part of the team founding Fortuna Bank: Ohio’s first woman-owned bank …

Many community banks express hesitation about embracing social media, citing compliance concerns, resources, reputational risk, and more. But for some community banks, the benefits have far outweighed the risk. For example, Paducah Bank in Paducah, Kentucky, was an early adopter of social media marketing and has gained attention from The Financial …

Community banks aren’t just competing with other banks for deposits, but with fintechs, neobanks, and other non-bank challengers. How can a community bank remain competitive with limited resources in such a rapidly changing environment? Maybe it’s not the platform, but the product. In this episode, Ron Shevlin, chief research officer at Cornerstone…

Providing for the financial wellness of staff is an important retention and recruitment tool for community banks. Navigating retirement savings offerings can be so complex and costly that it seems out of reach. However, ICBB is partnering with Lincoln Financial and Envisage Wealth Advisors to offer community banks a solution called a MEAP Plan. Thi…

January is Financial Wellness Month, and financial wellness for community banks starts with strategic planning. But how can you get more out of your strategic planning process than just checking a box for the regulators? CEO Derek Hetherington, who solidified a proactive approach to strategic planning at ICBB after becoming CEO in 2020; and CFO Eli…

In the final episode of 2023, Madison Caplinger is joined by chief credit officer Stephanie Oerther, CEO and president Derek Hetherington, and Scott Kimel from our partners at FNBB Capital Markets to discuss the trends of Q3 and the outlook for Q4 of 2023.By Independent Correspondent Bankers' Bank

Talent acquisition and retention have recently been a challenge for organizations across all industries, and uniquely so for community banks. How can community banks attract and keep young, entry-level talent? Maggie Abney, director of the Evans Banking & Financial Services program at Eastern Kentucky University, and Britney Leach, human resources …

Since the launch of the Federal Reserve’s FedNow instant payments rail, the topic of faster payments has been front and center on bankers’ radars. Some institutions have enthusiastically embraced it, while others have taken a more cautious approach. In this episode, Madison joins ICBB chief operations officer Becky Sisco, product development specia…

Our friends and customers and Richwood Bank in Richwood, Ohio recently received national recognitiont as one of the Independent Community Bankers’ Association’s Top Agriculture Lenders for 2023. Chief operations officer Brian Gehres and senior agriculture lender Kent Kramer share some of their expertise on the unique technical aspects of agricultur…

September in National Mortgage Professionals Month, and we’re taking the month to celebrate and empower community bank mortgage professionals. The current rate and economic environment present significant challenges to mortgage professionals. In this episode of the Correspondent, we're joined by ICBB's Missy Harrod, assistant vice president of mort…

ICBB's annual Bank Operations Opportunities Meeting (BOOM) is coming up in October and this episode provides a taste of the relevant, engaging and educational content it provides. Chasity Bruce, customer service specialist, interviews BOOM speaker Angelica Larranga from ePay resources. Angelica covers key operations topics like preventing fraud and…

Today’s episode of The Correspondent joins a conversation that has been taking the banking world, and the world at large, by storm: artificial intelligence, or AI. Some find it exciting, and some find it scary, but AI opens up a world of possibilities. Eric Cook, a digital strategist for a WSI digital marketing agency serving community banks and me…

In this second market update episode of The Correspondent, Madison Caplinger and chief credit officer Stephanie Oerther, president and CEO Derek Hetherington, and president of Sapphire Fiduciary Advisors Paul Stropkay reflect on Q2 of 2023. Topics include the changing lending landscape, best practices in underwriting, inflation and interest rates, …

In today's competitive environment, every part of your customer’s journey matters. This is especially true of the onboarding process. How can your bank onboard customers effectively, remaining efficient while maintaining that personal touch that community banks do so well? Kyle Herschberger, president of Cross Financial in Omaha, Nebraska, shares v…

A question that seems to be heavy on the minds of community bankers, and especially community bank marketers, is how to capture the business of the younger demographic. Generation Z comprises 40% of US consumers, and Millennials are not far behind them. But growing up with technology means their consumer and banking behavior can be quite a bit diff…

This special episode of The Correspondentit was recorded live from ICBB's 2023 Annual Credit Conference. It features a panel discussion on loan review and risk management with CEO Derek Hetherington, professor Maggie Abney from Eastern Kentucky University, and Don McFadden and Matt Evans from ICBB affiliate, Bankers’ Service Corporation.…

This episode marks the first first quarterly market update, where Madison is joined by chief credit officer Stephanie Oerther, senior lender Brandon Feltner, and president and CEO of ICBI affliate Sapphire Fiduciary Advisers Paul Stropkay, to discuss trends, current events, and other issues that have arisen over the past quarter.…

Many community banks are hesitant to offer international payments services to their customers, perceiving it to be risky and not worth the investment. But without them, they may risk losing their best customers to a larger institution. Madison Caplinger, along with Dan Caputo, VP of Global Treasury for AscendantFX, and Chasity Bruce, Customer Servi…

Ransomware and other cyber crimes are an ever-increasing (and very expensive) threat to community banks and their customers. There are many ways to prevent such an attack, but cybercriminals are getting smarter every day. What do you and your team do when the worst happens? In this se ondpart of a two-part episode, cyber banking attorney Bill Repas…

Ransomware and other cyber crimes are an ever-increasing (and very expensive) threat to community banks and their customers. There are many ways to prevent such an attack, but cybercriminals are getting smarter every day. What do you and your team do when the worst happens? In this first part of a two-part episode, cyber banking attorney Bill Repas…

Now more than ever, finding and keeping great credit and lending staff is a difficult but necessary part of successful community banking. But what if great lenders and analysts are made, not born? In honor of our upcoming credit conference, we spoke to Derrick Jackson, Chief Credit Officer at First Saving Bank, Indiana, and keynote speaker at Still…

For the past few years, community bank lenders have had to contend with a lot of uncertainty and rapid changes in the lending environment. How can they effectively manage their credit risk? On this episode, we discuss managing credit risk in an uncertain environment with Matt Evans, president of ICBI-affiliate Bankers' Service Corporation, and Alle…

Customer service is a cornerstone of community banking, but it's also a high-turnover profession. How can community banks build a culture that keeps quality tellers and customer service people from quiet quitting or joining the Great Resignation? In this episode, you'll hear from Chasity Bruce, customer service specialist III at ICBB, and the leade…

Employee turnover is a pervasive and costly problem for community banks. In this episode of The Correspondent, marketing associate Madison Caplinger interviews Britney Leach, Human Resources Director at ICBB, and Kathy Leombruno of Citizens Bank West Virginia, which was recently named #29 on the American Bankers' Association's 2022 Best Banks to Wo…

Welcome to the first-ever episode of The Correspondent, a YouTube-exclusive podcast from ICBB! In celebration of the bankers' bank's 35-year anniversary, this episode features interviews with inaugural CEO, Bill Fallon; second CEO, John Clark; and current CEO, Derek Hetherington on the past, present, and future of ICBB.…