• 1/31/2025

The call for papers for the 2025 Community Banking Research Conference is now open through May 16. This year marks the 13th year of the conference, which is sponsored by the Federal Reserve, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). The goal of the conference is to bring together leading academics, community bank executives, policymakers, and senior leadership from the Fed, state bank regulatory agencies, and the FDIC. Past conference programs are available here. 

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will host the in-person conference on Oct. 7-8, 2025. 

Each paper selected for the conference will be considered for the John W. Ryan Award, which recognizes the paper that makes the most significant contribution to banking research. The conference committee is interested in research that explores all topics related to community banking, including, but not limited to the topics below. 

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

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
• funding and liquidity issues, including FHLB advances and central bank lending facilities
• collaborations/partnerships with financial technology and crypto firms
• payments issues, including the effects of new payment technologies and trends
• the effects of rapid technological advances in banking
• operational risk 

Advantages and disadvantages of the community bank business model
• bank consolidation
• noninterest/fee income
• benefits of local knowledge and strong relationships
• costs of operating at a small scale 


Paper Submission Procedure: 
Please submit a paper or detailed abstract by the end of day on Friday, May 16, 2025, using the following link. There is no paper submission fee. If you have any questions or need assistance with the submission, please email conference@communitybanking.org. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by Friday, July 11, 2025.