As noted in the CSBS National Survey, 30 percent of respondents reported that depopulation was either important or very important to a rural bank’s ability to attract and retain deposits. 9 Banks in rural areas may also struggle with succession planning.
With all due distance, I always felt that permeability between the worlds – between the central bank and politics, between supervisors and banks – was particularly important. Parallel worlds – or "echo chambers”, to use today’s parlance – are of no use to anyone; hence my enduring commitment to forging a constructive and open relationship between central bankers and bankers.