April is Community Banking Month

April 8, 2022

With spring fast approaching, we welcome April as the bearer of warmer weather and a pre-cursor to the flowering of a new season. As with that fragrant happiness of April comes the mirroring excitement for the announcement of the ICBA sponsored April Community Banking month! Williamstown Bank is proud to not only be a community bank ourselves but also a very community minded bank. Through this season of change we are reminded of what it means to be part of a community and offer banking services to those who deserve it the most.

ICBA stands for Independent Community Bankers of America. ICBA sponsors community banks nationwide, employing nearly 700,000 Americans and ‘constitutes nearly 99 percent of all banks.’ To be fitting of their title, ICBA highlights community banking during the month of April. Not only do they understand the necessity of community banks, but they directly support them, all year round.

Why bank locally? You may ask yourself this question – and the answer is simple. Banking locally supports your local economy by fostering jobs from small businesses rather than large corporations. It also produces income and revenue through your small towns that would not be present if a large bank funneled all deposits somewhere else. In the words of ICBA, community banks “help consumers and small businesses achieve their financial goals to create communities of prosperity nationwide.”

Community banks are the backbone of the neighborhood they serve. They house the income of those individuals who take pride in their roots. They foster relationships that last generations of trust and respect between banker and customer. At Williamstown Bank, not only do we recognize the responsibility that community banks have in protecting their neighbors, but also accept and appreciate the fact that we can be held to a higher standard. A higher standard of goodness in communities that need it the most. Through our own efforts we have aided in the completion of community projects, betterment, and achievements through Habitat for Humanity builds, Partners in Educations, Beneficiary partnerships, and so much more. We recognize that being a community bank is an honor, but also an opportunity to serve the communities in which we reside.

So, ask yourself the question one more time. Why bank locally? Because you know that your community is supported by local financial institutions. Because you know the impact that community banking has on your community. Because you see the good that comes from fostering relationships between client and institution. You know your banker because they are your neighbor. Williamstown Bank is honored to be part of our community.

From ICBA and from Williamstown Bank, we invite you to bank locally and work towards the goal of bettering your community from the inside out.