In Brief: IBAA Designs a Logo To Attract Entrepreneurs

As the proportion of small-business loans issued by community banks has declined, the Independent Bankers Association of America wants to create a more distinct identity for its members.

The group designed a diamond logo with the words "On your corner, in your corner, your community bank," for the 5,500 member banks to display on their doors and stationary.

The logo is intended to promote the idea of a bank responsive to local entrepreneurs' needs, said Anthony Abbate, president of $490 million-asset Interchange State Bank in Saddle Brook, N.J.

"It makes the small-businessperson recognize that we are in the position to recycle deposits back into the communities that we serve," Mr. Abbate said.

In the last year, community banks' market share of small-business loans declined from 16% to 14%. The market share for banks with more than $10 billion in assets jumped from 22.6% to 25.1%.

Mr. Abbate said the logo would help community banks forge a brand-name identity to compete with banks with branches in many cities.

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