Federal Reserve, CSBS To Host Second Annual Community Banking Research Conference Sept. 23-24

ST. LOUIS – Community bankers, academics, policymakers and bank supervisors will gather Sept. 23-24, 2014, in St. Louis for “Community Banking in the 21st Century,” the second annual community banking research and policy conference hosted by the Federal Reserve System and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS).

Speakers will include Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George, Commissioner of the Arkansas State Bank Department and CSBS Chairman Candace Franks, and CSBS President and CEO John Ryan. Rebeca Romero Rainey, president and CEO of Taos, N.M.-based Centinel Bank, will give the evening keynote speech on Sept. 23.

The conference will be held at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where the inaugural conference was held last year.

“Community banks play a central role in our national economy by fostering the economic health and vitality of local communities,” Powell said. “The inaugural conference generated valuable research findings and has since energized further interest and engagement in this sector, as evidenced by the multidisciplinary nature and number of papers submitted for consideration for this year’s conference.”

In addition to presenting and discussing the latest in community banking research, Fed and CSBS officials will release the findings of a 2014 survey of community bankers across the country that covers key trends and developments such as the impact of the new qualified mortgage rule, the effect of new services and new technologies, and the impact of compliance costs. The conference will also include keynote presentations and roundtable conversations from thought leaders across the community banking industry.

“This conference and the research it highlights are so vital to educate policymakers on the important role community banks play in our economy,” said Franks. “By producing independent research and compiling direct feedback from community bankers, we hope to create better financial policy in the United States. This will benefit bankers, the local communities they serve, and the greater stability and health of the United States.”

Additional information, including the agenda, can be found on the conference web site at www.stlouisfed.org/cbrc2014. The conference will be webcast live via the St. Louis Fed’s web site, where conference materials and the selected research papers will be posted as well.