With the turning of the calendar into 2024, IBAT is proud to celebrate 50 years of community banking advocacy throughout the year ahead.
While IBAT’s early days were defined by the battle against branch and interstate banking, the association has continually reinvented itself to become the most effective state community banking advocate in the nation.
There was no way for the founders of IBAT to have imagined the breadth and complexity of issues we would face as an industry and association, but the foundation laid by those founders provided a clear set of principles. They recognized that communities are always best served by independent banks rooted in local communities. They believed that the public policy priorities of large banks would almost always run counter to those of independent banks.
“A great philosopher once said, ‘Purity of heart is to will one thing,’” said IBAT President and CEO Christopher Williston. “The purity of mission at IBAT and its commitment to the concerns of community banking is what has made this organization truly special.” We look forward to celebrating IBAT’s first 50 years with all of you throughout 2024. More importantly, we look forward to working with you to ensure that the next 50 years are even better.
