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Community banking highlights in 2024 included strong deposit growth at a Los Angeles-based digital-only bank, continued regulatory scrutiny of banking-as-a-service arrangements, along with a transformational deal in the Old Dominion.

A record 22 credit unions announced plans to acquire banks in 2024, though the year ended on a discordant note as regulatory concerns appear to have derailed a planned CU-bank deal in Georgia.

JPMorgan Chase opened a net 38 sites in the 12 months ended Sept. 30, bucking the branch-closing trend.

2024 brought important issues front and center for bankers, ranging from the rise of artificial intelligence to the fall of banking-as-a-service.

As the new year begins, managers across the industry will be setting new goals for their branch bankers. They'll find more engagement and success if they clearly articulate the thinking behind the goal setting.

At TD Bank and some other financial institutions accused of aiding and abetting money laundering, AML and branch employees have colluded and even joked about it in instant messages. Technology is part of the answer to detecting and preventing this.

The account-to-account payment method has become prevalent in countries such as China, India and Brazil, but adoption has been slow in the U.S. and limited to small- and medium-sized businesses. That paradigm is expected to shift amid continued fintech investment.

Bankers expected big changes for community banks, digital assets and regulation. Were they correct?

These banks are expected to draw regulatory scrutiny in the coming year. 

Countries around the world have lots of incentives to build an alternative to the U.S.-centric global payments system using central bank digital currencies. The U.S. must get in the game or see its economic might begin to wane.