A Pittsburgh law firm has recently trained its sights again on community banks. This same law firm previously filed a number of class-action lawsuits against community banks: first, for alleged violations of the ATM fee-disclosure requirements in the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and, more recently, for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with regard to ATM-accessibility by disabled customers. In its latest attack on community banks, the law firm is sending demand letters to banks threatening litigation over the banks’ websites. The law firm contends the banks’ websites do not comply with the ADA because they allegedly are not accessible by disabled patrons.
 
ADA website-accessibility standards have not been issued by the federal government. In 2010, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that was considering issuing regulations applying the ADA to websites. Originally, it was expected that DOJ would issue website-accessibility standards for places of public accommodation by the spring of 2014, [1] but the DOJ has now delayed issuing those regulations until 2018.
 
Many have anticipated that ADA website-accessibility rules, if and when they are issued, will resemble the standards set forth in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are promulgated by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium. [2] As described by the DOJ, the “WAI has created recognized voluntary international guidelines for Web accessibility” which “detail how to make Web content accessible to individuals with disabilities.”
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Iowa community bankers continue to show support of their local legislators by personally delivering contributions from the CBI PAC fund. Shown meeting with Iowa congressmen are (top left photo): (left) Jim Feudner, President of Bank Iowa-Oskaloosa and Iowa Rep. Guy Vander Linden (R-Dist. 79); (top right photo): (left) Iowa Senator Tim Kapuchian (R-Dist. 38) and Cameron Miles, President & CEO of Keystone Savings Bank-Keystone. Click each photo to see larger.

CBI has evolved their political efforts to concentrate on issues that are of benefit to Iowa’s community banks and their local economies. Our ability to bring forward those issues and projects and to coordinate with other like minded organizations, is supported by our ability to make political contributions to candidates and legislators. 100% of your contributions stay right here in Iowa.
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​Community Bankers of Iowa Political Action Committee (CBI PAC), originally formed in the 1970s, has been vigilant in defense of the views and needs of independent bankers. Last week community bankers around Iowa showed their support of their local legislators by personally delivering contributions from the CBI PAC fund.

Shown meeting with Iowa congressmen are (top left photo): (left) Rep. Dave Maxwell (R-Dist. 76) and Mike Geiger, Vice President with County Bank in Sigourney; (top center photo): (L-R) Dave Caris, CEO-Community Bankers of Iowa, Senator Roby Smith (R-Dist 47), Jay Johnson, 1st Vice President-Quad City Bank & Trust (OCB&T) in Bettendorf, Mark Kilmer-QCB&T Board Chair, Chuck Topinka-Board Chair, Keystone Savings Bank in Keystone; (top right photo): (left) Rep. Lee Hein (R-Dist. 96) and Aaron Zumbach, Market President with Fidelity Bank & Trust in Anamosa. Click each photo to see larger.

CBI has evolved their political efforts to concentrate on issues that are of benefit to Iowa’s community banks and their local economies. Our ability to bring forward those issues and projects and to coordinate with other like minded organizations, is supported by our ability to make political contributions to candidates and legislators. 100% of your contributions stay right here in Iowa.
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