By Thomas F. Siems, Ph.D., CSBS Chief Economist The CSBS fourth quarter 2023 Community Bank Sentiment Index ( CBSI) indicates that community bankers are less pessimistic than they were in the previous two quarters, but concerns persist. The Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary tightening over the past 22 months has significantly raised interest rates, resulting in lower loan demand, greater deposit

State bank regulators have asked the federal banking agencies to amend their long-term debt (LTD) proposal for large banking organizations. The proposal would require banks over $100 billion in assets to issue and maintain a minimum amount of LTD, which is meant to enhance the resolvability of such firms in the event of failure, as well as promote the resiliency

By Temple University Professor of Finance, Jonathan A. Scott and CSBS Chief Economist, Thomas F. Siems Net interest margins, the cost of funds and core deposit growth ranked as the top three most important external risks facing state-chartered community banks, according to the 2023 CSBS Annual Survey of Community Banks, released last month. But when community banks are partitioned by

State regulators, in collaboration with the Bankers' Electronic Crimes Taskforce and the U.S. Secret Service, this week released an updated Ransomware Self-Assessment Tool (R-SAT) for banks to help mitigate new risks associated with ransomware attacks and identify security gaps. The new version updates the R-SAT originally released in 2020 due to evolutions in the ransomware threat environment, bad actor tactics

By Thomas F. Siems, Ph.D., CSBS Chief Economist The CSBS third quarter 2023 Community Bank Sentiment Index ( CBSI) rebounded sharply from last quarter’s record low, with all seven components that comprise the index advancing. At 86, the index remains well below the neutral level of 100, but community banker pessimism on the outlook for the U.S. economy appears to

Congratulations to the team of students from the University of Tennessee at Martin that edged out 34 other teams to win this year’s CSBS Community Bank Case Study Competition. Their case study examined how a local community bank, Commercial Bank & Trust Company in Paris, Tennessee, recruits and retains talent, approaches succession planning and uses technology to advance operations. CSBS

Strong relationships between state and federal regulators are crucial to effective financial regulation. These relationships form the basis for coordination and collaboration across a range of supervisory processes and efforts. The State Liaison Committee (SLC) brings an important state view to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. Last week, SLC members gathered in Washington, D.C. for a briefing hosted at

By CSBS President and CEO Jim Cooper Fifteen years ago, Congress transformed the mortgage industry by mandating the use of a technology platform created by state financial regulators. Today, that platform allows millions of Americans to make financial decisions and transactions with confidence. Whether they’re obtaining a mortgage to make what is likely their largest lifetime purchase or sending money