28 Hoosier Banker October 2015 FEATURE About the Author Camden R. Fine is president and chief executive officer of the Independent Community Bankers of America. He came to ICBA from Midwest Independent Bank, Jefferson City, Missouri, where he chartered and organized the bankers’ bank and served as president and CEO for nearly 20 years. A long-time member of ICBA prior to becoming the association’s president and CEO, Fine served on several association standing committees and on the ICBA board of directors. The author can be reached at: cam.fine@icba.org. As of this writing, summer’s light is fading over the Capitol dome, and the legislative clock is ticking in Washington. Preparing for a legislative sprint toward the end of the year, members of Congress are returning to our nation’s capital after having heard from the Independent Community Bankers of America and community bankers all year. The unmistakable, unavoidable truth they heard is this: The time for action on regulatory relief for community banks is overdue. No one can claim he or she didn’t know. That’s because throughout this year and previous ones, while working directly with many lawmakers from both political parties to craft regulatory relief bills, ICBA sent its call for regulatory relief in several creative ways in various highly prominent venues throughout Washington. Recently ICBA published prominent articles and ran eye-catching and to-the-point advertisements in publications widely read by policymakers and members of their staffs. In one large ad in Politico, ICBA published a list of “True Community Bank Champions in Congress,” highlighting senators and representatives who have voted for or cosponsored pivotal ICBA-backed regulatory relief bills. The message is crystal clear to any lawmaker up for reelection next year. Several other colorful ICBA ads published in Politico spread the same urgent message in memorable ways. One ad shows a piggybank gripped in a vise, declaring: “Over-Regulation Puts the SQUEEZE on Community Banks!” Another cartoon ad of a man strangled by a ribbon of government red tape implores: “Over-Regulation is CHOKING the Life out of Community Banks!” These creative ads and others widely circulated by ICBA stand out—and get the message across plainly and unambiguously. Meanwhile a Washington Times editorial series, also published last summer, features a dozen articles, editorials and op-eds by ICBA community bank leaders and senior staff on community bank overregulation and the association’s proposals to address this pressing problem. Titled “How Excessive Regulation Is Crushing Main Street: The Inside Story on the Squeeze Facing the Nation’s Community Banks,” the articles clearly explain the dangers of perpetuating one-size-fitsall regulation to consumers and local communities. Moreover, all of this highly public advocacy outreach happened on top of ICBA’s daily advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. These efforts also occurred after about 1,000 community bankers visited with lawmakers on Capitol Hill last spring about regulatory relief and the Plan for Prosperity measures during ICBA’s Washington Policy Summit, which coincided with ICBA saturating the city’s Metro transit system with posters and billboards for Community Banking Month. Yet another election season is approaching, as Main Street watches impatiently. ICBA and community bankers aren’t about to stop telling the truth and spreading the message — the time is now for enacting meaningful regulatory relief for community banks. I’ll repeat this, too: This time nobody can say he or she didn’t know. t An Unavoidable Truth
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