Independent Banker - September 2023 - 5

FLOURISH
" We advocate for community bankers to
continue to have an environment where they
can help their customers, and we respond
creatively to ensure our customers still have
access to solutions that meet their needs. "
Rebeca Romero Rainey
President and CEO, ICBA
avigating the regulatory
landscape is like getting on
a roller coaster. There are ups and
downs, and you're never sure what's
around the next turn or when you're
going to get thrown for a loop. Right
now, that wild ride comes courtesy
of Silicon Valley Bank and other
bank failures, and we're looking at
potential rule writing as a result.
When a financial crisis or series
of events triggers legislative and
regulatory investigation, the de facto
response is to deepen regulation.
In fact, this reaction is the reason
I got involved in ICBA in the first
place: I saw the need for advocacy
at the state and national levels. We
were facing a new set of mortgage
rules that didn't help the customer
or make things better. They didn't
allow me to support my community,
and I realized that those writing the
rules didn't understand how they
affect our day-to-day ability to serve
our customers.
That's why what we do at ICBA is
so important. We focus on educating
what the intended or unintended
response of an action may be. We
advocate for community bankers to
continue to have an environment
N
where they can help their customers,
and we respond creatively to ensure
our customers still have access to
solutions that meet their needs.
Fortunately, community bankers
excel at supporting our customers
despite regulatory hurdles. In fact,
I was inspired by a conversation I
heard on the " A Bank Culture that
Works " episode of the Independent
Banker podcast (icba.org/podcast).
Ann Buckmiller, director of
compliance at Reliabank Dakota in
South Dakota, talked about her job
in compliance as a way to help meet
customer needs, and at the same
time, ensure that the bank does what
it needs to do to follow the rules.
Her comments struck me, because
I realized our job is to do precisely
what Ann said: take control of the
situation by knowing what the rules
are, recognizing where they fall
short of meeting customer needs and
innovating to solve for any challenges.
It's about taking what's required of us
and making it work for our customers
and communities.
There's no question regulation
makes for a bumpy ride, but it's
an uphill climb we've experienced
countless times. The more we can
keep our focus on our customers
and their needs and differentiate our
relationship-based business model
(see our National Campaign Toolkit at
icba.org/campaign for resources), the
smoother the journey will be. So, let's
jump in the driver's seat and advocate
for community banking. We're going
to need to buckle up, but by keeping
our customers as our chief priority, we
may just be able to enjoy the ride.
Connect with Rebeca @romerorainey
Where I'll be this month
I'll be visiting the ICBA team in our Sauk Centre and Atlanta
offices, attending our LEAD FWD Summit and celebrating
a Golden Jubilee Convention with the Independent
Community Bankers of Colorado.
independentbanker.org // 5
Photo by Chris Williams
http://www.icba.org/podcast http://www.icba.org/campaign http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - September 2023

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