Characteristics of a community bank are "Local Decisions," "Local Commitment" and "Local Investment".
Community Bank Advantages
- Community banks focus attention on the needs of local families, businesses, and farmers.
- Community banks balance the needs of customers, employees and shareholders.
- Community banks use local deposits to make loans to the neighborhoods where their depositors live and work.
- Community bank officers are accessible to their customers on site with decisions on loans being made locally.
- Community bank employees are deeply involved in local community affairs.
- Community banks are willing to consider important attributes such as a person’s character when making loans.
- Community banks are themselves small businesses, so they understand the needs of small business owners.
- Community banks’ boards of directors are made up of local citizens who want to advance the interests of the towns and cities where they live and the bank does business.