Each depositor insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank

The FDIC will host a national conference on "The Future of Community Banking" on February 16, 2012. The conference will provide a forum for community bank stakeholders to explore the unique role community banks play in the country's economy and the challenges and opportunities this segment of the banking industry faces. Conference panels will examine:

• The evolution and characteristics of community banks,
• Current challenges and opportunities for community banks,
• The perspectives of community bank customers, and
• Lessons learned from past financial crises and successful strategies for the community bank of the future.

Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and FDIC Director Thomas J. Curry are scheduled to deliver the keynote addresses at the conference. FDIC Acting Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg will also make remarks.

The conference is the first in a series of initiatives that the FDIC is undertaking this year to further understanding of the current and future challenges and opportunities for community banks, and will be a major priority for the agency in 2012. Additional information is available at http://www.fdic.gov/news/conferences/communitybanking/index.html.

When: Thursday, February 16, 2012 – 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST

Where:
FDIC's L. William Seidman Center
3501 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, Virginia
Virginia Square Metro Station

Attendance at the conference is by invitation and will be open to credentialed members of the media. Reporters must RSVP in advance to attend the conference. Members of the media should contact Michele Heller at mheller@fdic.gov by February 9, 2012. The conference will be broadcast live and archived through a publicly available webcast on the FDIC's Web site at http://www.vodium.com/goto/fdic/communitybanking.asp

The FDIC has also established a mailbox for public communications regarding its community banking initiative at Communitybanking@fdic.gov

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Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 7,437 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200). PR-14-2012