A substantial number of community banks in the Tenth Federal Reserve District are located in rural areas that are experiencing slower economic growth, a less vibrant business environment, and little or no population increase. As a result, these banks face a variety of challenges, including how...

Ten years of deregulation, new technology, and increase competition have made the U.S. banking industry a less hospital place for many community banks. But the consensus view among ten community bankers recently surveyed by the Federal Reserve is that rapid industry change has provided...

The U.S. banking system has undergone a dramatic restructuring since the 1970s. One of the biggest changes is the reduced number and market share of community banks. The number of banks with less than $1 billion in assets – a common definition of community bank – has declined from...

We review how deregulation, technological advance, and increased competitive rivalry have affected the size and health of the U.S. community banking sector and the quality and availability of banking products and services. We then develop a simple theoretical framework for analyzing how these...