March 26, 2026

Register today for the ICBA Capital Summit. ICBA Capital Summit

Register for upcoming Bank Webinars. Bank Webinars

Congratulations to the banks celebrating March and April anniversaries as chartered institutions!

There is no shortage of reasons to feel uneasy right now. Economic signals are mixed. Politics are loud and unresolved. Geopolitics remain unsettled. Social institutions feel stretched thin. None of this is new, but the overlap is what makes this moment feel heavier. History would call this a pressure phase. A period where systems are tested not by a single shock, but by sustained strain.

Deposit growth isn’t as simple as it used to be. Community banks across the country feel that shift every day. For decades, competitive interest rates and strong local relationships were enough to bring in new deposits. Today, those factors still matter, but they’re no longer the whole story.

Compliance is recognized by the financial industry as a high-risk function. Failure to manage it effectively can result in high costs to an institution, as witnessed by many supervisory enforcement actions and fair lending settlements over the years.

Rising competition and consumer expectations mean community financial institutions must operate more efficiently while delivering modern, personalized services. Meanwhile, advances in AI, open banking, cybersecurity and regulatory change are reshaping the industry and creating new opportunities for those who adapt.

For community financial institutions, the conversation around the future of AI in banking is no longer theoretical. Leaders are asking practical questions about how AI helps banks operate more efficiently, where it delivers measurable value and how it can be applied while maintaining transparency and trust. Nowhere is transparency more important than in a community financial institution’s CECL calculation.