2020 Call for Papers Open Through June 5

Research Panel 1 Black

The call for papers for the 2020 Community Banking in the 21st Century research and policy conference is now open through June 5. The conference committee seeks detailed abstracts or papers that explore all aspects of community banking, including, but not limited to:

The role of community banks in the U.S. financial system
  • provision of financial services to households, small businesses and small farms
  • impact of community banks on local/state economic activity

Advantages and disadvantages of the community bank business model

  • benefits of local knowledge and strong relationships
  • costs of operating at a small scale
  • funding and liquidity

The effects of government policy on community banks

  • quantifying regulatory and compliance costs
  • intended and unintended effects of regulatory requirements
  • antitrust policy and community banks

Challenges and opportunities faced by community banks

  • competition from large banks, credit unions, and nonbanks, including financial technology firms
  • keeping up with rapid technological advances
  • succession planning and attracting employees with needed expertise
  • operational risks
  • collaborations/partnerships with financial technology firms
  • responding to the effects of climate change

The deadline to submit a detailed abstract or completed paper is by end of day on June 5, 2020. Submissions should be e-mailed to: conference@communitybanking.org

Authors of accepted papers will be notified by July 24, 2020.

Each of the academic papers chosen to be presented at the conference will also be considered for an award that recognizes the paper that makes the most significant contribution to banking policy. The conference planning committee will judge the papers, and the winner will be announced in conjunction with the conference.

The conference, sponsored by the Federal Reserve, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.