One of the pressures the banking industry has faced over the past two years is the rising cost of deposits. Rates paid on deposits have risen sharply since March 2022, when the Federal Reserve began tightening monetary policy. Although last week’s reduction in the Fed’s target range for the federal funds rate promises relief, there are factors other than monetary policy at play.

Despite some headwinds going into 2024, the U.S. commercial banking industry posted satisfactory earnings, asset quality and capital in 2023, although several indicators were down from their 2022 levels. 

Risk in its various forms and how it is evaluated was the overriding theme of the 2023 Community Banking Research Conference, held last fall at the St. Louis Fed. The annual conference—sponsored by the Federal Reserve System, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)—spotlights emerging research on issues important to the community banking industry and features keynote addresses by leading community bankers and regulators. More than 1,100 academics, bankers and regulators participated in person or virtually.

Take Five is a popular video series featuring St. Louis Fed senior business economist  Kathleen Navin. In each video, Navin provides a quick, concise synopsis of the most recent meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

• 5/9/2025 to 5/9/2025