Skip to main content
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Dot gov
The .gov means it’s official. 
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
Https
The site is secure. 
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Federal Register Publications

FDIC Federal Register Citations



Home > Regulation & Examinations > Laws & Regulations > FDIC Federal Register Citations




FDIC Federal Register Citations

First Community Bank

September 9, 2004

Mr. Robert E. Feldman
Executive Secretary
Attention: Comments/Legal ESS
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
550 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20429

Re: RIN Number 3064-AC50

Dear Mr. Feldman:

Although CRA regulations are essentially sound and serve a good purpose, I would like to express my support for the proposed rule to change the definition of "small bank" to raise the asset size threshold regardless of holding company affiliation

The current definition of small bank excludes First Community Bank (FCB) with offices in Keokuk, IA and Carthage, IL as we are a member of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., a large holding company.

Therefore, FCB was examined as a large bank during our most recent CRA exam. What a tough exam for our small bank, which is located in a very rural area. The large bank performance standards were very difficult for FCB to be measured against, and the process was frustrating for the bank employees as well as the examiners.

FCB has always been conscientious of serving all sectors in our lending and community service actions. However, human, program and monetary resources are more limited in our small communities, so opportunities that meet the criteria are more difficult to identify. Our local community efforts are potentially damaged by our need to meet large bank criteria, data collection and reporting technical requirements rather than focusing on community-based lending activities and community improvement involvement.

Rural communities raise noteworthy issues in the community development context and should receive consideration as such. The definition of community development should ensure that it encompasses activity that benefits rural areas. The proposed community development criterion would permit banks to better and more meaningfully balance their community development activities based on the opportunities in the market and their own strategic strengths.

Thank you for considering my opinions.

Sincerely,

Barbara Smidt, AVP
Retail Sales/Marketing

 



    


Last Updated 10/25/2004 regs@fdic.gov

Last Updated: August 4, 2024