For release on delivery 9:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. CDT) October 1, 2019  Advancing Our Understanding of Community Banking  Remarks by Michelle W. Bowman Member Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at “Community Banking in the 21st Century” 2019 Community Banking Research and Policy Conference sponsored by the Federal Reserve System, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation St. Louis, Missouri  October 1, 2019  It is a special honor for me to be part of this conference and its tradition of advancing our understanding of how banking shapes our economy and our communities.
1 As a community banker, I sought out actionable research that I could leverage to better serve my customers and my community. As a state bank regulator, I conducted my own research to answer questions about issues affecting the banks my agency regulated. I also appreciated learning what researchers thought would provide better insight into the industry.