The authors study the distinguishing features of community banks that maintained the highest supervisory ratings during the recent financial crisis (2006 to 2011). They identify balance sheet and income statement ratios that separate these thriving banks from other community banks and supplement...

This study provides direct evidence of the value to banks arising from relationship lending by estimating the market premium placed on banking organizations' small business loan portfolios. Using data from the small business loan survey contained in the June bank Call Reports, we find that small...

[REVISED AUG 2019]We investigate the shrinking community banking sector and the impact on local small business lending (SBL) in the context of mergers and acquisitions. From all mergers that involved community banks, we examine the varying impact on SBL depending on the local presence of the...

The Tenth Annual Community Bankers Symposium, co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, was held at the Chicago Fed on November 7, 2014. This article summarizes key presentations and...

To the public, all banks seem alike. But banking insiders make important distinctions between community banks and all other banks. Policymakers worry that community banks’ unique characteristics threaten their survival in the face of industry consolidation. However, despite dramatic regulatory...