Independent Banker - September 2020 - 16

Reflecting on ICBA Bancard's 35-Year History of Success
What follows is an excerpt from the first of a two-part series exploring
ICBA Bancard's origins and guiding philosophy.
In celebration of ICBA Bancard's
35th anniversary, ICBA Bancard
help consumers adapt to the " new
normal. "
Greg Deckard is
ICBA Bancard's
chairman and is
the president, CEO,
and chairman of
State Bank Northwest,
a $145-million
asset institution
headquartered in
Spokane, Wash.
president and CEO Tina Giorgio
sat down with Bancard's Chairman
Greg Deckard, president, CEO and
chairman of State Bank Northwest
(Spokane, Wash.) to reflect on key
milestones that have led to the organization's
success and ability to
address the challenges and opportunities
of 21st century banking.
Tina: When I'm mentoring companies
at ICBA's ThinkTECH Accelerator
I always ask, " What's your
why? " That question drives you to
explore the motivation behind decisions.
It is also a great lens by which
to frame ICBA Bancard's story.
Greg: I agree, because every decision
ICBA Bancard has made over
the years has been with a strategic
eye. We owe much to ICBA who
40 years ago had the foresight to
create the ICBA Services Network
as a means of creating products and
services designed for community
banks. We also owe so much to
ICBA's leadership that got ICBA
Bancard off the ground and were
a key part of its success. And now,
ICBA Bancard is continuing its
evolution under the direction of
our volunteer bankers and your
leadership, at a critical time for our
industry.
Digital offerings like remote banking
and contactless payments have
taken on increased importance in
response to COVID-19-induced
social distancing practices, with
ICBA Bancard offering guidance
and support as community banks
But to get back to your earlier point,
I guess the founding question is why
was ICBA Bancard formed?
Tina: Community banks were
looking for cost-effective credit
card and merchant processing solutions
from a provider they could
trust-one that really understood
their business models and unique
needs. ICBA stepped up to the plate
by creating ICBA Bancard as its first
subsidiary.
Greg: Launching TCM Bank
served as another major ICBA
Bancard milestone. This decision
enabled us to empower community
banks with payments offerings
in new ways, growing the number
of community banks offering card
services. Last year, ICBA Bancard
exceeded $30 billion in transaction
volume for the first time in history
and TCM hit a milestone in surpassing
$2 billion.
Tina: One hundred percent. Those
are some powerful numbers, and
they make us the 11th largest debit
issuer and 24th largest credit issuer
in the country.* Collectively,
through ICBA Bancard our community
bank clients have a substantial
voice and market share in the
payments space.
Greg: And now, ICBA Bancard is
expanding into digital opportunities
and broader digital and payments
services. Why are we looking
to advance in this way?
Tina: The payments
landscape
continues to shift and change, and
that transformation necessitates
an ICBA Bancard evolution. We
need to continue offering solutions
to meet not just today's needs, but
those that will be prevalent next
year or in a few years' time. And
as the Coronavirus pandemic has
shown, the impetus and speed of
change can occur over the course of
a few weeks or months, so community
banks must be prepared to shift
into high gear and ICBA Bancard
is here to help.
Greg: That's true; we all learned a
valuable lesson with the pandemic
and have to be thinking ahead in
today's market, and why it's so critical
that ICBA, through its payments
subsidiary ICBA Bancard provides
community banks with solutions to
support their customers now and
into the future. That vision is why
55 percent of all ICBA members are
using at least one Bancard or TCM
service. So, that begs the question,
" If you're not taking advantage of
ICBA Bancard payments system
offerings, why not? "
I encourage you to reach out and
get more information. ICBA is here
to serve its mission of creating and
promoting an environment where
community banks flourish, and payments
is certainly a big part of it. I
know firsthand that ICBA is your
partner and can help your bank
grow and thrive in the years to come.
* Nilson Reports, February & April 2020
Don't miss part two of this conversation! Visit www.icbabancard.org to read Tina Giorgio's blog, Tina's Take.
PAGE 2 | BANCARD CONFIDENTIAL

http://www.icbabancard.org

Independent Banker - September 2020

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