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guides --audience community-banks,credit-unions

Guides

Answers to the questions bankers actually ask about AI: what to write down, what to ask a vendor, what an examiner will want to see. Organized by the eight readiness dimensions. For what changed this week, read the briefings.

Dimension

Approved AI Access

Compliance, IT, and executive teams · 7 minHow to write an AI acceptable use policy for a community bankWhat an AI acceptable use policy at a community bank or credit union needs to say, what it can leave out, and how to get it approved without a six-month committee.

Dimension

Model Oversight

Risk, compliance, and executive teams · 6 minDoes SR 26-2 apply to community banks — and to generative AI?What the April 2026 model risk guidance changed, who it is aimed at, why generative AI sits outside its formal scope, and what a community bank should do anyway.Risk, compliance, and IT leads · 7 minHow to build an AI use case inventory at a bank or credit unionThe fields an AI use case inventory needs, where to find the AI you didn't know you had, and how to keep the list current without a dedicated team.

Dimension

Compliance Clarity

Lending, compliance, and credit administration · 6 minAI in lending and adverse action notices under Regulation BIf AI touches a credit decision, Regulation B still requires specific principal reasons for a denial. What that means for community lenders and their vendors.Compliance officers and executive teams · 7 minHow to prepare for AI questions in your next examWhat examiners are likely to ask about AI, the documents to have ready, and how a community bank or credit union can run a dry run before the exam letter arrives.

Dimension

Data Safety

Every employee, and the people who write their rules · 6 minCan bank employees use ChatGPT?Yes, with a clear data line and an approved tool. What community bank and credit union staff can safely use AI tools like ChatGPT for, and what must never go in.

Dimension

Workflow Fit

Executive teams and department heads · 7 minChoosing your first AI pilot at a community bank or credit unionHow to pick a first AI use case that is safe, measurable, and worth doing, and how to run a four-to-six-week pilot your board and examiner will both understand.

Dimension

Human Control

Department heads, compliance, and operations · 6 minHuman review of AI output: who checks what, and whenA simple model for deciding how much human review each AI use needs at a community bank or credit union, and how to make the review real rather than a rubber stamp.

Dimension

Vendor Control

Vendor management, IT, and compliance · 8 minAI vendor due diligence: the questions to ask before you signThe questions a community bank or credit union should put to any vendor selling AI, mapped to the third-party risk life cycle you already run.

Dimension

People & Governance

CEOs, executive teams, and board secretaries · 6 minHow to brief your board on AIWhat a community bank or credit union board needs to hear about AI, what to leave out, and a one-page structure for the first briefing and the quarterly update.
AI Guides for Community Banks and Credit Unions — The AI Banking Institute