3 Trends in Community Banking Despite the local and national significance of community banks, their numbers, as well as the number of insured banks in general, have been declining for several years. 4 This erosion of community bank charters is not just an issue in our rural communities.
In this respect, financial sector policy is only one element, but a crucial one, of a much broader strategy. The strategy is based on decisive action to strengthen competitiveness and investment, and to restore fiscal sustainability. Boosting competitiveness and attracting investment are two formidable challenges for the Greek economy. A lot has been done to improve competitiveness and the gains should not be unwound.