The sudden and swift collapse of these institutions is something that both banks and bank policymakers can and must learn from. But in recent days, there have been some in Washington who have seized this opportunity to advance misguided policy proposals — many of which have nothing to do with the failures of these banks. These include proposals that would make it significantly harder for community banks to compete and new capital requirements for larger banks that would limit their ability to lend at a time of economic uncertainty. The policy response to these failures should not place America’s competitive, thriving banking system at risk. Rather, we must seek solutions that preserve that competitive landscape and ensure that banks of all sizes with diverse business models are allowed to compete and succeed in serving the needs of their communities. To achieve that goal, we all must stand together as an industry and resist efforts to divide us. Past experience has taught us that we are stronger and most effective in our advocacy when we speak with one voice and that there can be harmful consequences when we don’t. In the days to come, there will be many conversations about the future of banking regulation, about potential changes to the deposit insurance system and what we can do to preserve the depth and diversity of our banking system. By speaking with a united voice on these and other issues, we can move our industry forward and work with policymakers to understand what happened at SVB, Signature and First Republic. But, even more importantly, we can reinforce the overwhelming strength and resilience of the U.S. banking sector and lift up the work our nation’s banks do every day to make our communities better. Email Rob at rnichols@aba.com. Past experience has taught us that we are stronger and most effective in our advocacy when we speak with one voice and that there can be harmful consequences when we don’t. 13 Nebraska Banker
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