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UP FRONT

God, Family, Community

and Country

CHRISTOPHER L. WILLISTON, CAE

I f you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. They crisis. Trip after trip to the nation’s capital to plead for easing

of draconian rules would fall on sympathetic but resolute ears.
all have their unique characteristics, but you
can almost always predict what you will find. Until now.
It is almost ironic that just last week, just as I was about to
exit the car and enter a small community bank in central Texas,
There’s a welcome sign just at the outskirts of town with the the announcement came. A breaking Politico story on my smart
county sheriff close by looking to ticket some unsuspecting phone touted a major breakthrough in the United States Senate.
traveler. Just up the road there are a half dozen to a dozen pick- A bi-partisan comprehensive regulatory relief bill for community
ups parked outside a café where the locals are gathered for their banks would be forthcoming. Some nine democrats had signed
morning coffee and gossip. Store windows are adorned with on to the legislation, which would almost assure its passage
high school colors and words of support to beat a neighboring through the Senate Banking Committee and on the Senate
team. The local church has some cute saying on the placard out- floor. It was almost all I could do to keep from screaming with
side. joy from the top of my lungs. All the hard work put in by so
There is no rush hour. Pass through at almost any hour of the many would finally be realized.
day and traffic is almost nonexistent, except around the local It would be smart to temper our enthusiasm until such time
elementary school where parents jockey in position to drop off as the bill is out of the committee and floor time is granted. We
or pick up their kids. have all learned that nothing is ever for sure when it comes to
Life is simpler here but hardly stress-free. Farmers worry politics and legislation in Washington—especially considering
about too much or too little moisture for their crops. Politicians the toxic partisan atmosphere that exists. But this is a major
strategize how to attract industry and tourists to boost the local step in the process that surely awaits a friendly greeting in the
economy. School administrators fret over funding and attract- United States House of Representatives that has passed many
ing qualified teachers. regulatory relief bills, only to watch them die a slow death in

Small town, Anywhere, America. God, family, community and the Senate.
country. And it is most assuredly the glimmer of hope that many small-
town community bankers have been waiting for to release the
At the center of the town square is the town’s community
bank. The gentlemen and ladies inside know everyone in town regulatory stranglehold Washington has had on their institu-
and almost everything about them. They are one with the com- tions and their ability to serve their customers.
munity as they must be with the awesome responsibility of Final passage of the legislation will certainly get the locals
insuring that the town’s survival is directly tied to the bank’s talking again. Sure, there will always be concerns about the
survival. weather and the wrath or prosperity it will bring and ways to
For far too long and through no fault of their own, we have boost the local economy.
slowly seen the demise of far too many small-town banks. Most But concerns about the future of their hometown bank and
didn’t disappear due to bad loans or some other calamitous the future of their own community will be replaced with more
event. Rather, they sold or merged with a larger player in a near- pressing concerns...like, how the football team will fare against
by market, after smothering under a mountain of new regula- its rival down the road.
tions from Washington, D.C. And God, family, community and country. 
In Texas, 170 have succumbed to the new regulatory pres-
sures. That’s almost ten percent of all the banks nationwide that Chris Williston is IBAT’s president and CEO. He can be reached at
are no longer with us since 2010, the beginning of the financial 512-474-6889 or [email protected].

6 The Texas Independent Banker