The regulator's recent report highlights supposedly high-priority concerns about small banks without mentioning the size, concentration and real risks of the megabanks.
Directors and officers liability coverage is an unpopular topic of conversation at board meetings. But directors who shirk their responsibilities in this area may one day find their claims denied.
When smaller financial institutions, such as credit unions, are inundated with regulations from multiple agencies simultaneously, their ability to meet the needs of members is hampered and services are curtailed.
Historically low interest rates and weak loan demand have masked the long-term profit potential of core deposits. When (not if) the cycle turns, community banks' earnings power will reappear.
Relief from fair value accounting is essential for community banks to survive and ultimately thrive in today's economic climate. Fortunately, legislation before Congress would untether regulatory accounting practices from GAAP.
There are fewer opportunities for upward mobility, and it's likely that the bank you go to work for will soon be merged out of existence. Is this the kind of environment that attracts the best and brightest?
