Welcome to the 2025 Conference

The 2025 planning committee welcomes you to the 13th annual Community Banking Research Conference. The conference, co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve System, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), will be held from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 7, and from 8:20 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Please note: The conference will offer a livestream on communitybanking.org through the entirety of the event. A recording of the conference will be posted at a later date.

See below for a preview of conference highlights or see the complete agenda online.

This year’s notable speakers include:

Michelle Bowman, Vice Chair for Supervision, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, at 9:05 a.m. CT on Oct. 7
Antonio Salazar, commissioner, Office of Financial Regulation, Maryland Department of Labor, and chair, CSBS, at 9:05 a.m. CT on Oct. 7
Brandon Milhorn, president and CEO, CSBS, at 10 a.m. CT on Oct. 7
Andrew Felton, director, Division of Insurance and Research, FDIC, at 1:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 7
Alexander Price, president and CEO, Citizens State Bank, Ouray, Colo., at 4:45 p.m. CT on Oct. 7
Alberto G. Musalem, president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, at 8:20 a.m. CT on Oct. 8
Michael Barr, member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, at 8:30 a.m. CT on Oct. 8

2025 CSBS Annual Survey of Community Banks | Oct. 7 at 9:15 a.m. CT

The first day of the conference features the key findings from the 2025 CSBS Annual Survey of Community Banks. Since 2014, the annual survey has provided insights into the opportunities and challenges that banks faced during the previous year.

Research Paper Sessions, Moderators and Discussants

Nine academic papers were selected to be presented at this year’s conference. Authors of the selected papers will present during one of three moderated panels being held throughout the conference.

The first session and panel, “Deposit Franchise Power and Market Power,” will be moderated by Elizabeth Berger, assistant professor at the University of Houston. The community bank discussant will be Bill Bickle, chief credit officer and chief risk officer at Stockman Bank of Montana in Miles City, Mont.

The second session and panel, “Failed Banks,” will be moderated by Christopher James, William H. Dial and SunTrust Eminent Scholar at the University of Florida. The community bank discussant will be Jim Edwards, CEO of United Bank Corp. in Griffin, Ga.

The third session and panel, “Innovation and Technology in Small Business Lending,” will be moderated by John Hackney, assistant professor at the University of Arkansas. The community bank discussant will be Kenneth Kelly, chairman and CEO at First Independence Bank in Detroit, Mich.

Two additional papers were identified and will be featured online and as poster presentations at the conference. A list of all papers can be found on the conference website.

The winner of the "John W. Ryan Award for Most Significant Contribution to Community Banking Research" will be presented by CSBS President and CEO Brandon Millhorn at 11:45 a.m. CT on Oct. 8.

Panel Discussion: Buy, Sell, Create, Redefine | Oct. 8 at 10:45 a.m. CT

This year’s panel discussion will be moderated by Kyle Thomas, senior advisor of Policy and Innovation, CSBS. The panel will delve into how banks explore the strategic choices they face as they look for new ways to serve their customers in a constantly changing banking environment. The panelists will include:

Leslie Anderson, CEO, i3 Bank, Bennington, Neb.
David Coxon, executive vice president and director, Georgia Banking Company, Atlanta, Ga.
Randall Guynn, advisor, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Ilaria Rawlins, president and CEO, Fortuna Bank, Grandview Heights, Ohio

2025 CSBS Case Study Presentation | Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. CT

The University of Tennessee at Martin in Martin, Tenn., is the winning team of this year’s CSBS Community Bank Case Study Competition. The team will present at 4 p.m. CT on Oct. 7. This year, student teams partnered with local community banks to explore the impact of interest rates and inflation on banking with a focus on planning for the future through branch strategy, technology and managing regulatory burden.

Questions? Please contact us at conference@communitybanking.org.