Independent Banker

Here's your dilemma: You know marketing is important, but your bank's small size doesn't allow you to devote the staffing and resources to the marketing function that you would like, let alone the other important aspects of the business.What's the answer?...

While most community banks are still debating whether or not imaging is worth the high start-up cost, a rural Iowa bank makes a strong case that the investment is well worth the money.American State Bank's check imaging system is doing so well that it...

The community bank.It's right up there with baseball, apple pie and the flag.Community bank. The warm, fuzzy term that's a favorite of every bank marketer and writer of bank advertising copy.It's banking's No. 1 marketing buzz term. Two words that endear...

When IBAA Bancard Inc. renewed its five-year W contract with Equifax Card Services, it underscored how this cooperative arrangement has kept community bankers competitive in the credit card industry."In 10 years, we have achieved collectively what individually...

EDITOR'S NOTE: When asked to name their competition, community banks often place credit unions high on the list. This is the second in a series designed to help community bankers better understand the challenges posed by credit unions.Credit unions today...

The mentality in banking that bigger is better often works against community bankers. For a group of bankers in Illinois, however, that attitude is revitalizing the spirit of community banking.The chief executives of 10 start-up banks in the Chicago...