Today’s newsletter provides important information about:

• Upcoming Webinars & Conferences below, and
• Updates on recent state & federal legislative & regulatory developments – Including the latest on credit unions.

UPCOMING AI WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS — AND IBANYS’ HR CONFERENCE:

• Join IBANYS and PentEdge on November 18, 2025 (9:00 a.m.) for a free webinar, as PentEdge’s Lisa Pent and Scott Rein demonstrate how AI can drive innovation without crossing compliance lines. . .it's designed for community bank CEOs, COOs, CIOs, Risk, Compliance, and Board leaders. . .and, is free of cost — a PentEdge initiative to help community banks innovate with confidence!  Click here to register.

• Complimentary AI Strategy Workshop for Community Banks. . .Build a Safe, Practical AI Roadmap — at No Cost. Following the introduction of AI with Guardrails, PentEdge will offer IBANYS members a limited number of complimentary 2–4-hour workshops designed to help community bank leaders identify safe, high-impact AI opportunities that align with your bank’s strategy, culture, and regulatory priorities. Dates and times of workshops will be discussed during the webinar. Using real-world examples and six key use-case categories, they will show how AI with Guardrails helps community banks adopt artificial intelligence safely, confidently, and in alignment with regulatory expectations. You’ll gain: 1) A clear view of where AI can safely add value; 2) A tailored roadmap of low-risk, high-return use cases, and 3) Practical guidance on compliance and examiner expectations. 

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• IBANYS will host our first virtual conference of Fiscal Year 2025-26 — our Human Resources Conference on Tuesday, December 9 (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) Join IBANYS for this half-day session developed to help community banks enhance their people strategy, strengthen compliance, and lead with confidence. It's designed for community bank HR Managers, Training Officers, Branch Managers, Hiring Managers, Supervisors and IT professionals, and will bring together experts in HR leadership, cybersecurity, retirement planning, and organizational culture. You’ll gain actionable insights and practical tools to support your bank’s most valuable asset—your people.  Program Highlights: 1) Ensuring Operational Compliance While Improving Participant Outcomes: Explore how to design compliant, high-performing retirement plans. 2) From Compliance Cop to Culture Catalyst: Transform HR’s role from policy enforcer to strategic culture leader. 3) Mitigating Hacker Vulnerabilities & Hiring Risks: Learn how to protect your institution from cybersecurity and hiring threats. 4) Leadership is Hard: Balancing Engagement, Culture & Well-Being: Discover how to cultivate an engaged, resilient workplace culture. . .Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 4, 2025. Download the brochure and register today! Questions? Contact Linda Gregware: lindag@ibanys.net or (518) 436-4646.

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PLEASE SAVE THE DATES FOR THESE 2026 IBANYS CONFERENCES:

• Our 50th Annual Convention & Trade Show at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, New York June 8-10, 2026 -- a New Date & Location, but still our same Premier Event. Mark Your Calendars. . . and please share the news with your officers and management teams!

• Our 2026 Executive Leadership Symposium October 5-7, 2026 at 1000 Harbor Hotel in Clayton, New York.

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NOTES OF INTEREST:

• Congratulations to IBANYS Immediate Past Chairman Phil Pecora, President & CEO, Genesee Regional Bank (GRB) for again being named to the Rochester Business Journal’s Power List for Banking & Finance! In the article, Phil notes: “Banking remains, at its core, a relationship-driven business. That’s something we hold firmly at GRB. While technology continues to transform how we operate and serve routine client transactions, it doesn’t replace the value of real conversations and genuine human connection.” IBANYS celebrates Phil’s continued impact, and the values that make GRB a true community bank!

• 1st National Bank of Scotia’s story is built on "community, family, and a bit of elbow grease.” Learn how John and Lou Buhrmaster turned a taxi company—and a few checkered cabs—into a chapter of perseverance featured in @icba's Independent Banker magazine. @FirstScotia  

WORDS WORTH SHARING:

• From a community banker in Maine, via LinkedIn: “It is incredibly gratifying to have a United States Treasury Secretary understand the important role community banks play in our nation’s economy…America is made up of regular people and small businesses, and they need their local community bank to be there for them to fuel this economy!”

• From the OCC: “Safe and sound community banks support customers and communities across the nation. The OCC continues to look for ways to reduce regulatory burden and tailor its supervision for its community banks.”

• ICBA’s VP/Congressional Relations Steve Keen writes in Independent Banker magazine about the ICBA-supported law to rein in the sale of mortgage “trigger leads.”  The "Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act" will restrict credit reporting agencies from selling consumers’ contact information when they apply for a residential mortgage, which often unleashes a wave of unwanted calls and solicitations from competing lenders. Noting the Act's impact on community banks, Keen wrote: “By limiting when reports can be shared with third parties, the law levels the playing field for relationship lenders and protects borrowers at a critical stage.”  The November edition also includes articles on community bankers making homeownership achievable, succession planning for family banks, understanding the opportunities for agentic AI, and more. The magazine is available on the Independent Banker website and via the digital edition.

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Are you and your team actively participating in IBANYS’ committees, webinars, seminars, meetings and conferences? Are you sharing IBANYS’ weekly updates and newsletters with your teams?



• Keep your senior management, officers, employees and directors fully informed on available opportunities & activities and developments impacting our industry.

• If you would like to get more involved, or want us to add any names to our distribution lists, email Director of Administration & Operations Linda Gregware (Lindag@ibanys.net) or me (Johnw@ibanys.net) . . . Visit https://ibanys.net/ to review everything about IBANYS, our mission and what we do for New York community banks. We’re still the voice at the table representing just New York community banks, just as we were founded more than a half-century ago.

2026 IBANYS MEETINGS

Stay tuned! As meeting agendas are finalized, details and registration information will be shared via email, the IBANYS website (ibanys.net/meetings-schedule), and in upcoming e-newsletters.

IBANYS NOVEMBER WEBINARS

ASSOCIATE & PREFERRED PARTNERS

How the Histories of Sears and Amazon Can Inform the Future of Financial Institutions

At their peaks, both Sears and Amazon revolutionized how consumers shopped—first by mail, then by mouse. Yet only one adapted as the world changed. This article explores how the rise and fall of these retail giants offer timely lessons for today’s financial institutions: innovate, integrate, and evolve—or risk being left behind.

Read Blog

Piper Sandler State of the States Scorecard for the Third Quarter 2025

Note: Due to the government shutdown, the Unemployment Rate and Coincident Index data have been updated only through August 2025 (originally scheduled for September 2025 release).

The quarterly State of the States Scorecard presents key economic and financial metrics for each of the states and the District of Columbia in a dashboard style summary for easy reference. The metrics include year-over-year change in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s Coincident Index, Federal Housing Agency Home Price Index and Census Bureau Tax Revenue Collections, as well as the state’s unemployment rate, mix of revenues, pension funding ratio and general fund balance as a percent of revenue.

Leading performers on the various metrics in the third quarter include Oregon, which recorded a 26.99% year-over-year gain in tax revenues; New York, which recorded a 8.02% year-over-year gain in home prices; and South Carolina, with a 4.22% year-over-year improvement in the overall economy as measured by the coincident index.

The report also includes each state’s general obligation rating from Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. This quarter, Moody’s upgraded Connecticut to Aa2, and New Jersey to Aa3. Fitch upgraded Maine to AA+, Connecticut to AA and Alaska to AA-.

AG Lending Summit

November 19, 2025

9:00 am – 12:00 pm (central time)

Audience

Community Bank Presidents, Senior Credit Officers, Commercial Portfolio Managers, Loan Administration/Review Managers, Senior Bankers responsible for lending functions, any bankers that deal in the Agribusiness Industry

Topics

• Latest Economic Trends in the Agroeconomic space
• Discussions around data and communication
• A look at new advancements in ag tech

Total Hours: 3 (9:00 am-12:00 pm (Central)

Price

• $195 per bank with assets $2B and less
• $295 per bank with assets in excess of $2B

Barret School of Banking’s Ag Lending Summit will include “must haves” for successful Ag lenders in today’s Ag Economy; to not only survive but to thrive!

Senior Lending Summit

December 2, 2025 (10:00 am – 3:00 pm CST)

Who it's for?

Senior Lenders, Chief Credit Officers, Chief Lending Officers, Senior Credit Officers and other senior bankers/managers responsible for lending-related functions.

Cost: $295 per bank with assets $2B and less

$395 per bank with assets in excess of $2B

What will it be like?

This will be an all-virtual event. Great lectures, roundtable discussions, numerous case studies, and opportunities to network.

5 hours of instruction are scheduled.

Topics Include:

• Review of Current Industries, Trends, and CRE Sectors
• Loan Pricing and Structuring Issues
• Dealing With Non-Bank Competitors
• Regulatory Exams, ALLL and Other Portfolio Management Issues
• It’s Time to Highlight and Recognize the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Efforts of Your Borrowers
• The People Element: What Works for Hiring, Retaining and Training Lending Staff?

May 17-22, 2026

Barret Graduate School

Our three year graduate program. Annual one-week residency session.

Barret Graduate School Curriculum in Brief

One week per year for three years • 130+ hours of core classroom study • Nine on-campus case studies• Eight home study problems.

Over the three year graduate program, participants will have access to 200+ hours of training.

ICBA Information

Quarterly Strategy Webinar for Banks

Challenging Conventional Approaches

Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET

Stifel’s Financial Institutions Strategy Group will host its Quarterly Strategy Webinar for Banks on November 13 at 1 p.m. ET. The webinar provides insight on emerging balance sheet, investment, economic and regulatory developments. Discussion topics include:

• Economic Update
• Securities Restructure Transactions – Arguments and Counterarguments
• Hedging Approaches – New Angles to Explore
• Views on Recent Developments – Regulatory, Credit, and Lending

Continuing Professional Education

Attendees who meet registration and participation requirements can earn 1.5 CPE credits for this presentation. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact your Stifel representative or email FixedIncomeEvents@stifel.com.

ALBANY UPDATE

• Gov. Hochul tweeted out her opposition to the deal reached in the U.S. Senate to begin the process of ending the federal government shutdown: “Ending the shutdown shouldn’t come at the expense of health care for tens of millions of Americans. This deal paves the way for devastating premium hikes that will drive up costs for New Yorkers. Count me out.” https://x.com/GovKathyHochul/status/1987699970590609727

• New York's leaders in Washington have lined up as expected on the pending deal to end the federal government shutdown. The Senate has passed the legislation, and the House is expected to vote on it today. Senate Minority Leader Schumer  voted against advancing the bill that would fund the government but take no action on soon-to-expire enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies – essentially “punting” the subsidy conversation with a promise to take up a vote in December. There is anger among Democrats at Schumer for not holding the eight moderates who voted with Republicans to move the bill. House Minority Leader Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) opposes the bill, and defended Schumer, noting: “The overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer have waged a valiant fight.” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand voted "no" and tied her decision to a lack of faith the December vote will ultimately address the subsidy issue. Read More

• Gov. Hochul is getting pressured to raise income taxes on New Yorkers making over $1 million but is still opposed. Both legislative leaders (Assembly Speaker Heastie, D-Bronx, and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers) support NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s call for tax increases. Hochul must balance the state’s multi-billion-dollar state budget, while running for reelection next against Republicans eager to link her to NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s platform. https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/news/2025/11/11/hochul--mamdani-honeymoon-phase-ahead-of-budget-negotiations

• Gov. Hochul said says there will be no special session, and no tax hikes for a 'bailout' of Congress. https://www.capitolconfidential.com/p/hochul-says-no-special-session-no. Hochul said NYC Mayoral candidate Mamdani's 'tax the rich' plan would hurt NY's middle class: 'I cannot do that...'link. 

• NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani has named his two top aides. 1) Dean Fuleihan will be First Deputy Mayor, a choice praised by Speaker Heastie who cited his “extensive experience in New York City and New York State government…and knowledge of the budget processes of both...” Gov. Hochul also lauded the appointment. Hochul wrote on X  he’s “a steady, principled public servant who has dedicated his career to making government work…His experience and integrity will be invaluable in this role. A great choice and a win for New Yorkers.” Fuleihan, a longtime aide to former Assembly Speaker Silver, was former Mayor de Blasio’s budget director and later his First Deputy Mayor. 2) Elle Bisgaard-Church will serve as Chief of Staff. She held the same role in Mamdani’s Assembly office, and was his campaign manager this year. https://nystateofpolitics.com/state-of-politics/new-york/news/2025/11/11/hochul--mamdani-honeymoon-phase-ahead-of-budget-negotiations

• Former New York State Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne Harris Superintendent is returning to the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP as of Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor. She began her legal career with the firm before serving in the U.S. Treasury Department and then as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy under President Obama. Harris stepped down as DFS Superintendent last month after serving for four years and was succeeded by Kaitlin Asrow as Acting Superintendent. She was previously Executive Deputy Superintendent of DFS’s Research & Innovation Division. 

ECONOMIC & POLITICAL UPDATE

• According to a new 2025 survey from “Retirement Living,” New York is one of the worst states in which to retire, ranking second from the bottom just ahead of Hawaii. The report evaluated affordability, healthcare, quality of life, weather, and crime. New York scored poorly in healthcare and quality of life – “largely due to its high cost of living and taxes.” The report noted: 1) Retirees in New York need over $1,037,000 in savings to live comfortably; 2) The state's income tax rate of 10.9% and property tax rate of 1.6% make it one of the most expensive places to retire. 3) The senior poverty rate is also high at 14.3%. Neighboring states Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut also ranked among the worst, while Wyoming, West Virginia, and Florida were rated the best states to retire in. https://bronx.news12.com/new-york-ranked-second-worst-state-to-retire-in-2025

• The field of candidates to replace Rep. Stefanik (R-North Country) in the 21st Congressional District is wide open after she officially launched her bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination last week. Several are either already campaigning or exploring the possibility, while others who were on the short list this past winter for a possible special election that never happened have decided not to run. Read More. Stefanik's campaign said she has picked up numerous endorsements from GOP county leaders around the state. Read More, and reportedly has already racked up endorsements from nearly all county Republican chairs, "putting her well on the way to become the party's preferred nominee."

• Rep. Stefanik has picked up numerous endorsements from GOP county leaders around the state in her gubernatorial race. Read More. Her campaign says she has already racked up endorsements from nearly all county Republican chairs, putting her well on the way to become the party's preferred nominee. However, GOP Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who easily won reelection last week and led Republicans in a sweep of countywide offices on Long Island, is considering a primary run against Stefanik. He, like Stefanik, is a close ally to President Donald Trump, and said Trump hasn’t discouraged him. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2025/11/11/blakeman-tests-the-waters-00646111?nname=new-york-playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b74f0000&nrid=00000152-f737-dcf0-a7d7-f73fb7700001

• NYS Senate Democrats expect their road back to a supermajority – which would allow them to override a governor’s veto – runs through the Hudson Valley, eyeing the seat now held by the GOP Sen. Rob Rolison. Democrats came within 2,000 votes of defeating him two years ago, and the party holds an enrollment advantage in the district. Deputy Senate Majority Leader Gianaris noted: “We’re one seat away, so any gain would get us there...”https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2025/11/12/is-schumers-streak-at-risk-00647426?nname=new-york-playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b74f0000&nrid=00000152-f737-dcf0-a7d7-f73fb7700001

• Jack Schlossberg -- Democratic influencer, son of former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and only grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy -- is running for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), joining a crowded Democratic primary and "continuing his family’s legacy in electoral politics." https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/nyregion/jack-schlossberg-congress-run.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0k8.psgZ.mm2U4roK04aJ&smid=url-share.

FEDERAL UPDATE

SHUTDOWN NEARLY OVER

• The Senate on Monday night passed a Jan. 30 stopgap funding bill to reopen the government, combined with a three-bill minibus. Eight Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on the hugely controversial measure. The House will return today, after having been out of session for 53 days, to vote on the package, which is expected to pass but may take some “heavy lifting” by Speaker Johnson and GOP leaders to get it done. ICBA welcomed a bipartisan Senate effort to end the federal shutdown and reopen the government. In a national news release, ICBA cited the impact of the shutdown on market-based programs and welcomed efforts to end the shutdown and ensure local economic growth stays strong, encouraging all sides to work together to finish the appropriations process.

REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

• The Trump administration has formally determined the CFPB’s current funding mechanism is unlawful, a move that puts the agency on track to close in the coming months when its existing cash runs out, Politico reports. The decision, disclosed in a court filing late Monday, represents the administration's most direct effort yet to dismantle the CFPB and sets up a new front in its ongoing legal battle over its future. The administration now considers the CFPB legally barred from seeking additional money from the Fed (the agency’s typical source of funding.) In the filing, the CFPB said it has enough money to last “at least” through the end of the year but “anticipates exhausting its currently available funds in early 2026.”

• A new blog post from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta examines possible rounding methods the United States could use when penny production is phased out. It notes: 1) Sooner or later, transactions will have to be rounded up or down to either zero or five cents; 2) There are no official rounding rules in the United States, though a bill that would allow rounding was first introduced in 1989; 3) The "symmetric" rounding rule was adopted by Canada and the European Central Bank. ICBA has called on the Treasury Department to restart production of the penny and develop a formal plan to phase out production of the one-cent coin given the lack of any formal announcement thus far. An ICBA blog post breaks down what is, and is not, happening with the change to the U.S. penny and how ICBA is working to gain clarity and address disruptions from the process.

• The American Banker (subscription required) reports that banking Industry groups and consumer advocates continue to push for regulators to interpret the GENIUS Act's prohibition on stablecoin interest as broadly as possible, while crypto firms push for a narrower interpretation, arguing that increased competition would benefit consumers. Banks, consumer groups push back against stablecoin yield.

• The Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday released a draft of crypto market structure legislation with bipartisan backing – which the Senate Banking Committee has been unable to accomplish so far this year. The draft would empower the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to regulate crypto tokens, Jasper Goodman and Declan Harty report. The discussion draft led by Chair Boozman (R-AK) and Sen. Booker (D-N.J.) is a work in progress, with many key components marked as “unresolved” – not yet fully agreed to between the two parties. Crypto advocates and allies are pleased -- GOP Banking Committee member Lummis (WT)) said: “I hope it spurs us on.”https://punchbowl.news/archive/111125-am/

• In a letter to the editor, a Virginia ICBA community banker says credit unions wanting access to municipal deposits without contributing back to the communities they claim to serve is a bad deal. 1) Large credit unions continue to benefit from an outdated tax exemption, which cost Virginia $102.6 million in lost revenue in 2024 alone; 2) Credit unions are also exempt from Virginia’s Bank Franchise Tax, which generated $31 million for the state and $141 million for localities in 2024, while community banks pay into that system; 3) Credit unions now want access to municipal deposits—public funds generated by Virginia taxpayers—without contributing back to the communities they claim to serve, which means fewer local dollars for critical services; 4) Unlike community banks, credit unions are not governed by the Community Reinvestment Act, which requires institutions to meet the credit needs of the areas where they operate. 5) If credit unions want to function like banks, they should be taxed and regulated like banks. ICBA urges states to prohibit the placement of public deposits in tax-exempt credit unions and supports applying CRA requirements to credit unions comparable to and with the same asset size distinctions as banks and thrifts.

• ICBA said it supports U.S. Federal Housing’s plan to focus on safety and soundness of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks while emphasizing the importance of reducing regulatory burden and maintaining the enterprises’ mission to foster a liquid, efficient, resilient, and competitive housing finance system. Read ICBA’s letter to U.S. Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte on the agency’s strategic plan for 2026-2030. ICBA has repeatedly noted the FHLB System has worked well for more than 90 years -- providing community banks with liquidity to fund mortgage lending and community development projects and consistently urged the FHFA to follow the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and end the conservatorship of Fannie and Freddie.

• ICBA announced its opposition to Coinbase’s application for a national trust bank charter for its subsidiary, Coinbase National Trust Co. Read ICBA’s national news release and its letter to the OCC. ICBA urged the Treasury Department to provide meaningful regulation and supervision to payment stablecoin issuers and digital asset service providers—and to avoid outcomes that would erode community bank lending in local communities. Read ICBA's letter responding to Treasury’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking on implementing the GENIUS Act. 

• White House officials and MAGA world are reportedly “seething” at FHA head Bill Pulte who personally talked President Trump into suggesting an “out-of-left-field 50-year mortgage plan” that has stirred consternation and confusion, Politico Playbook’s Dasha and our colleague Sophia Cai revealed. MAGA is furious,” said one source. Industry experts are resoundingly criticizing the idea, telling POLITICO’s Aiden Reiter and Cassandra Dumay that changes in financing are likely to be little more than a “band-aid,” while posing bigger risks to homebuyers. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/11/11/breaking-dems-get-big-win-in-utah-00646185?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000152-f737-dcf0-a7d7-f73fb7700001

ECONOMIC & POLITICAL ITEMS

• Asset valuation pressures, borrowing by businesses and households, financial-sector leverage, and funding risks are the primary vulnerabilities in the U.S. financial system, according to the Federal Reserve’s semiannual Financial Stability Report. The report also noted near-term risks to the financial system such as policy uncertainty, geopolitical risks, higher long-term rates, persistent inflation, and a sharp decline in asset prices, potentially connected to a turn in artificial intelligence sentiment.