ICBA Takes Main Street Message to Wall Street

Community Bank Trade Association Message Featured on CBS Jumbo Screen in Times Square

Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2011)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) announced today that the association will take its “Go Local” Main Street message to Wall Street by featuring an hourly community bank–focused message on the CBS Spectacular jumbo screen in New York City’s Times Square throughout the holiday season. The messaging encourages consumers to make a statement with the bank they choose by going local with a community bank. It also homes in on the fact that community banks only thrive when their customers do and that community banks fund nearly 60 percent of small business loans under $1 million.

“ICBA, the only trade association that exclusively represents community banks, is thrilled to take its positive Main Street message to Wall Street,” said Chris Lorence, ICBA executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “ICBA’s goal in producing the Jumbotron messaging is to capture consumers’ attention in a spectacular forum like Time Square and remind them that they have a choice when it comes to their banking relationship. If they want to do something about bad banking, they can go local with their community bank and keep their hard earned money at home where they live, work and worship.”

The Times Square messaging, which is slated to run until Jan. 1, 2012, is part of ICBA’s “Go Local” PR campaign, which launched in early October. The campaign encourages consumers to bank locally with a community bank so they can enjoy a relationship-based banking experience, superior customer service and the pride that comes with reinvesting in one’s community. In addition, “Go Local” also encourages consumers to shop and dine locally, drawing attention to the importance of communities strengthening themselves by relying on themselves and not big-box, one-size-fits-all banking and corporate conglomerates. Community banks reinvest in ways that drive their local economy. They create jobs by helping small business owners finance their entrepreneurial endeavors on Main Street and they enable families to purchase homes and cars, finance college educations and build financial security.

Whether located in small towns, suburbia or big-city neighborhoods, community banks improve America’s communities. Of the more than 7,000 community banks across the country, nearly 5,000 are ICBA members. Representing more than 23,000 locations nationwide and employing more than 280,000 Americans, ICBA members hold more than $1 trillion in assets, $900 billion in deposits, and $700 billion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community.

To view ICBA’s Times Square ad, go to www.icba.org. To find your local community bank, visit ICBA’s community bank locator at www.banklocally.org. Simply type in your ZIP code and the app will show you all the community banks in your area. You can even download free ICBA locator apps for your iPhone, Android or Blackberry.