WASHINGTON—America’s community bankers are in Washington this week, and credit unions are again on the agenda when the banks take their turn hiking the hill.
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) is hosting its 2019 Capital Summit, and it will advocate for reforms to expand economic opportunity in local communities.
In addition to congressional meetings, among those who will address the meeting are Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID), House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA.), FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams, and ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey.
A Big Theme
The organization said community bank innovation will continue to be a big theme at the event, including a panel discussion on community bank-fintech partnerships. House Financial Services Committee member French Hill (R-AR), Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP Partner Heather Archer Eastep and ICBA Services Network Chief Operating Officer Kevin Tweddle will be part of the discussion led by ICBA Chairman and President and CEO of Zachary Bancshares Inc. Preston Kennedy.
“As the nation’s most trusted lenders, community banks are in Washington to advocate pro-growth policies that will help them promote economic opportunity for their customers and communities back home,” Kennedy said. “We look forward to meeting with policymakers this week on common-sense reforms based on principles that everyone can agree on.”
Primary Points
In meetings with members of Congress, the ICBA said it will be calling for:
- Regulatory relief through ICBA’s Community Focus 2020: The Community Bank Agenda for Expanding Economic Opportunity
- Bank Secrecy Act modernization that better targets financial crimes
- A federal safe harbor for banking legal cannabis-related businesses
- Consistent data security standards for all participants in the payments and financial systems
- Ending competitive advantages for credit unions and the Farm Credit System
- Housing finance reform that preserves secondary market access for community bank lenders