Pub. 13 2024 Issue 1

VACB and ICBA are teaming up to offer this great educational resource to complement the educational offerings that VACB provides to the membership. ICBA Education offers seminars, certification programs, leadership and directors’ training, as well as a vast array of online courses that bank trainers can use to create in-house training options for staff needs. […]

The strategic approach to small business banking is predicated on better data analysis. Data is king. Everyone — from Big Tech to retailers to systems providers — prioritizes data for its ability to deliver on revenue expectations. Looking to improve the customer experience? Data tells a story. Want to strengthen fraud prevention? Data provides protections.

Despite the difficulties of the current landscape, community bankers do have options to maintain or even grow their deposit accounts. With tightening margins, inflation and high interest rates, community bankers face not only a challenging lending environment but also a battle to sustain deposits. Customers are more knowledgeable than ever and are prepared to shop

I recently came across a quote from the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Theodore Roethke: “Over every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” As an avid hiker myself, it resonated because as you look up toward the climb ahead, you may not see the route, but you know it’s

The Federal Reserve’s FedNow® Service, an instant payments rail that launched this past July, was a long time in the making. As you dive into the faster payments space, you probably have a few questions about how the FedNow Service was created. What were the criteria, who was in the room and — most importantly

We all know how hard it is to attract and retain top talent in the competitive community bank market. The challenge is even more acute today, considering how macroeconomic conditions have changed during the past several months. As a chief people officer, I have seen the value of creating and maintaining an agile, people-first work

Throughout my tenure, our VACB chairs have provided great leadership across every area of association life, of which the authoring of inspiring and enjoyable magazine columns is a small part. Again, in this issue, the column from our chair, Joe Witt, has provided us with great focus on both the “what” and the “why” of