Independent Banker - August 2019 - 98

CONNECTIONS
" Our small staff must wear
many hats, and, by utilizing the
expertise of the ICBA and [our
state association], our staff can
accomplish the tasks at hand. "
-Rick Stevens, State Bank of Bellingham
[regulation]. These things are not twopage
summaries. I need somebody to
understand it, to cut through the chaff
to help us get to the bottom line. "
Expertise when it's needed
Beyond regulation and compliance,
smaller fi nancial institutions don't
always have in-house personnel on
topics like cybersecurity, fi ntechs, deposit
growth, marketing or payments,
so community bankers like
Rick Stevens, president and
CEO of $48 million-asset
State Bank of Bellingham in Bellingham,
Minn., say they rely on organizations
like ICBA to obtain valuable
insight about important topics
like these. They get this information
through live educational events, online
webinars, routine outreach and
other channels. " We do not have the
3 ICBA member benefits you should know about
1. ICBA ThinkTECH Network
The community banking industry sees innovations
coming from a seemingly endless array of fintechs,
so when you're looking to find a fintech vendor, the
decision of which to partner with can be daunting.
The ICBA ThinkTECH Network, a one-stop shop of
community bank-friendly fintechs that rolled out
earlier this year, features a search tool of vetted
solution providers.
ICBA wrapped up its ThinkTECH Accelerator
program earlier this year. The program engaged
eight early stage fintech companies to produce
solutions tailored to the needs of community banks
by working directly with member banks. Visit
icba.org/thinktech to learn more about the
participating fintechs and what they off er.
2. ICBA Solutions Directory
In addition to a network of potential fintech partners,
ICBA off ers a directory, available at icba.org/solutions,
Rick Stevens and his wife,
Jean, attended ICBA LIVE
2019 in Nashville, Tenn.
staff to concentrate much time in these
areas, and by utilizing the resources
of ICBA and [our state association],
these areas can be managed eff ectively
and effi ciently, " Stevens says. " Our
small staff must wear many hats, and
by utilizing the expertise of the ICBA
and [our state association], our staff
of preferred service providers, corporate ICBA
members and other companies off ering an array
of solutions and services to community banks at a
discount for members.
3. Career development tools
As your community bank grows, you may need bank
off icers with training in IT, compliance and other
programs. ICBA off ers several compliance-related
certifications, including the Bank Compliance
Checkup Program and compliance
certification, to get bank staff up to
speed. ICBA's Community Banker
University (CBU) off ers a wide variety
of career development tools for
community bank staff , from auditing and
leadership development to lending and
marketing. There are webinars, events or
certification programs for all levels of the bank. Visit
icba.org/education for more information.
98 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q August 2019
http://www.icba.org/thinktech http://www.icba.org/solutions http://www.icba.org/education
Independent Banker - August 2019

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