Community Banking News Blog | Community Bankers of Iowa (CBI)

Rural Mainstreet Index Soars to Record High: 90% of Bankers Report Labor Shortages Restraining Growth

5/24/2021

May Survey Results at a Glance:

Overall index rocketed to a record high.
Approximately, 60.6% of bank CEOs reported that their local economy expanded between April and May.
Almost nine of 10 bank CEOs indicated that hiring at their bank and in the area was restraining growth.
For the first time since 2013, the regional farmland prices expanded for eight straight months.
On average, bankers reported annual cash rent per acre of $228, which represented growth of 7.3% over the past 12 months.

OMAHA, Neb. (May 20, 2021) – For the sixth straight month, the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) climbed above growth neutral. According to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

Overall: The overall index for May jumped to a record high of 78.8 from April’s very healthy 69.0. The index ranges between 0 and 100 with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral.

Approximately, 60.6% of bank CEOs reported that their local economy expanded between April and May.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending May 13, 2021

5/14/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Iowa lawmakers inch toward adjournment
Legislative leaders worked mostly behind the scenes this week crafting a massive tax relief package, setting the stage for adjourning the 2021 session potentially as early as next week.

House and Senate GOP leaders have been at odds over their must-do items on tax policy. The latest Senate bill, SF619, is a sweeping proposal that includes many of the priorities leaders from both chambers have wanted to include in tax reform this year. Among the bill’s chief provisions:

Fully implementing income tax cuts passed in 2018 in SF2417, which reduces rates and the number of tax brackets.
The tax changes were set to go into effect only if revenue targets were met.
Eliminating what is known as “federal deductibility,” which allows taxpayers to deduct what they pay in federal taxes from their Iowa tax bill
Shifting mental health services funding from local property taxes to the state
Expanding the childcare tax credit to apply to taxpayers making up to $90,000. Currently, only those making up to $45,000 qualify for the credit.
Phases out the inheritance tax over three years, with a full repeal in 2024
Requires health insurers to pay providers the same rate for telehealth mental health services as they pay for an in-person visit
Creates an Energy Infrastructure Revolving Loan Program to develop energy infrastructure.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending April 29, 2021

4/30/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Census results show Iowa keeping all four congressional seats
Iowa will retain all four of its seats in the U.S. House after preliminary data from the 2020 Census show Iowa with modest population growth of 3.6 %.

As more detailed Census data is released, Iowa lawmakers will be required to vote on new congressional and legislative districts that become effective for the 2022 election. Iowa has an often-praised, nonpartisan process for drawing new political maps. Most of the work is left to computers, which will draw new district lines to create 50 Iowa Senate and 100 Iowa House seats, along with four districts for U.S. Congress.

The Des Moines and Iowa City metro areas had the fastest growth in population and are expected to gain new legislative seats, while most rural parts of the state continue to lose residents.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending April 22, 2021

4/23/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Budget and tax issues loom as lawmakers look to adjourn
Iowa lawmakers are negotiating tax policy and next year’s budget in an effort to shut down the 2021 session in the coming weeks. The Legislature’s scheduled end is Friday, April 30, but it appears unlikely lawmakers will complete their work by then, pushing the 2021 session into overtime.

In a sure sign adjournment is getting closer, committees on both sides are advancing appropriations bills. Agreement between House and Senate GOP leaders on overall spending has so far been elusive, but key lawmakers are working behind the scenes to find agreement in particular budget areas.

Tax issues also remain unresolved. Senate Republicans are advancing legislation that would fully implement income tax cuts passed in 2018, but it is unclear at this point what a final tax package will include.

Rural Mainstreet on Strong Growth Path: Farmland Prices Expanding Rapidly

4/19/2021

April Survey Results at a Glance:

Overall index dipped but remained in strong growth territory from March’s record high.
The farmland price index advanced its highest level since November 2012.
The farm equipment-sales index rose to its highest reading since February 2013.
Housing index soars to record level with bids above listing prices.
Lack of available workers is restraining job growth.
Approximately 9.1% of farmland sales over past six months have gone to nonfarmer investors.
Fully 100% of bank CEOs indicated that export markets were important, or very important, to their local economy.

OMAHA, Neb. (April 15, 2021) – For the fifth straight month, the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) climbed above growth neutral. According to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

Overall: The overall index for April slipped to a still healthy 69.0 from a record high 71.9 in March. The index ranges between 0 and 100 with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral. Approximately, 37.9% of bank CEOs reported that their local economy expanded between March and April.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending April 15, 2021

4/16/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Banking Act Modernization Bill Passes Iowa Senate
The rewrite of much of the Division of Banking’s code section was passed by the Senate this week by a 45-0 vote. Senate File 566 now goes to the House where it will be eligible for passage there until the end of the session. CBI had input throughout the IDOB’s process to develop this update of the banking code, and we support its passage this year.

State Pauses Administration of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine
Iowa public health officials announced Tuesday they would advise medical providers to stop using one of the main COVID vaccines after reports it caused severe but rare blood clots in some female patients. Gov. Kim Reynolds called the development a “surprising setback” in Iowa’s effort to vaccinate its population, but said it would still be manageable. She noted the shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at issue were already decreasing and supplies of the other vaccines would replace it.

The announcement sent state officials scrambling to create contingency plans for vaccine clinics that had already been planned for this week. Reynolds asked for Iowans’ patience as officials worked to allocate additional vaccines where they are needed. The federal Centers for Disease Control raised red flags that the vaccine produced by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson needed further study and urged providers to stop administering it immediately. The CDC and FDA reported six cases of severe and rare blood clots, none of them in Iowa. Those agencies are reviewing the vaccine’s safety before vaccinations with J&J can resume.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending April 8, 2021

4/9/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Iowa House, Senate tax debate heats up
With just weeks to go in the legislative session, the Iowa House and Senate are advancing competing tax relief proposals, a difference that could complicate plans for adjournment this year.

SF576, which passed the Senate 46-0, phases in the elimination of the inheritance tax. The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency predicts the repeal would reduce revenue by nearly $18 million in FY2022. The legislation would apply to deaths occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2021.

The bill also would remove “triggers” put in place in order for broad state income tax cuts passed in 2018 to go into effect. Those triggers ensure the state’s tax collections rise enough to offset tax cuts.

If the triggers are removed, the LSA predicts the tax cuts would reduce income tax liability by roughly $297 million in FY2023.

The House also has a bill eliminating the inheritance tax, HF841. It’s unclear at this point what a final tax package will look like before lawmakers adjourn for the year in the coming weeks. House Speaker Pat Grassley has made public statements that the House will take a cautious approach to removing the triggers.

Rural Mainstreet Index Rockets to Record High: More Than Two-Thirds of Bankers Reported Expanding Local Economy

3/23/2021

March Survey Results at a Glance:

Overall index rocketed to a record high for the month.
Approximately, 68.8% of bank CEOs reported an expanding local economy, while the remaining 31.2% indicated little or no growth.
The farmland price index advanced its highest level since November 2012.
The farm equipment-sales index rose to its highest reading since February 2013.
Approximately 82.8% of bank CEOs recommended that the Federal Reserve raise interest rates by at least one-fourth of one percentage point in the next 12 months.
Despite recent job gains, the region’s nonfarm employment level remains 218,600 jobs below its pre-COVID-19 level.

For the fifth time in the past six months, the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) climbed above growth neutral. According to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy, the index increased to its highest level since launching the survey in January 2006.

Overall: The overall index for March soared to a record high 71.9 from February’s solid 53.8. The index ranges between 0 and 100 with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral.

Approximately, 68.8% of bank CEOs reported that their local economy was expanding, while the remaining 31.2% indicated little or no growth.

“Sharp gains in grain prices, federal farm support, and the Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rates have underpinned the Rural Mainstreet Economy. Only 3.1% of bank CEOs indicated economic conditions worsened from the previous month. Even so, current rural economic activity remains below pre-pandemic levels,” said Ernie Goss, PhD, Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending March 18, 2021

3/19/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Iowa Senate passes bill eliminating inheritance tax, phasing income tax cuts in sooner
The Iowa Senate has unanimously passed legislation to scrap the state's inheritance tax and to phase in planned income tax cuts more quickly, advancing one of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' key legislative priorities. The bill, Senate File 576, passed the chamber Wednesday on a 46-0 vote, with four senators absent. It now goes to the Iowa House for consideration. Read more: Des Moines Register

Call for Support of Central Filing System Legislation
The Senate version of legislation to create a central filing system relating to security interests in farm products was previously approved in Senate State Government Committee and is now SF 486. This bill has now been referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee since it contains a fee for filings, which makes it eligible for action until the end of the session. CBI supports this legislation, and urges members to contact their Senator and ask them to support SF 486.

Iowa Legislature Update: Week Ending March 11, 2021

3/12/2021

View the Iowa Legislative Bill Tracker

Bill banning credit unions from buying banks eligible for Senate debate
Legislation that prohibits a credit union from purchasing an Iowa-chartered bank passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee last week and is now eligible for debate by the full Senate. CBI urges members to contact their Senator and urge them to support SF 530 when it comes up for debate.

The need for this legislation was brought about when Green State Credit Union purchased First American Bank in Fort Dodge in 2019 and completed the transaction without receiving the required approval from the Iowa Division of Banking (IDOB). CBI’s Board affirmed its support for this legislation at its January Board meeting, and CBI testified in favor of the legislation in a Senate subcommittee meeting on the bill. While prohibiting the purchase of a bank by a credit union, SF 530 would still allow for the sale or transfer of participations or real property assets.