Community Banks Experienced a 24-percent Drop from 2000 to 2013 due to increased regulatory oversight, to competition from non-banks and internal conflicts all involving limited resources
Sausalito, CA – Breakaway Funding LLC issued the first of a three-part white paper series which describes the changing landscape of the private securities market and the importance of immediately implementing a crowdfunding as a survival tool for community financial institutions.
Kim Kaselionis, Breakaway Funding
“The deregulation of securities laws governing direct solicitation and participation by non-accredited investors, combined with the incredible innovations in technology and widespread adoption of social media is forcing unparalleled change in the private capital market,” said Kim Kaselionis, CommunityLeader’s CEO.
Co-authored by Breakaway Funding founder/managing partner Kim Kaselionis, and CommunityLeader, Inc. CEO/co-founder Joseph Barisonzi, the paper argues that without the integration of a crowdfunding program into their product offerings, community banks will continue to struggle to remain relevant to their commercial clients seeking growth capital.
The first paper is entitled “Banking with Purpose.” The second and third installments to be issued over the next month are “Crowdfunding 101 for Community Bankers” and “Sink or Crowdfund.”
Citing a 24 percent drop in the number of community banks from 2000 to 2013, the authors write that community-based financial institutions face overwhelming challenges, ranging from increased regulatory oversight to competition from non-banks to internal conflicts all seeking limited resources.
“The papers provide community bank leaders with the information they need to build an irrefutable business case,” said Kaselionis, former CEO/chairman of Circle Bank, “and to implement an immediate community-based crowdfunding strategy. We also show how they can preserve valuable relationships to remain competitive in the evolving capital market system. And we explain how the inclusion of potential investors previously prohibited from participating in funding transactions will cause fundamental changes in the market.”
Breakaway Funding, created by Kaselionis in late 2013, is a new funding portal providing a complete capital raising ecosystem through the lens of community bankers.
CommunityLeader was created in 2012 to help organizations understand and operate in the regulatory environment created by the JOBS Act. “The opportunities now and becoming available to financial institutions, small businesses and investors have opened an entirely new financial environment. What we have been able to do for our clients is help them successfully put the applicable provisions of the JOBS Act to work for them. Those who adopt early will find themselves both beneficiaries and leaders in their respective fields,” said Barisonzi.
Breakaway has conducted workshops, seminars and meetings over the past five months and will continue to make available crowdfunding educational information for bankers, businesses and investors
“The deregulation of securities laws governing direct solicitation and participation by non-accredited investors, combined with the incredible innovations in technology and widespread adoption of social media is forcing unparalleled change in the private capital market,” said Barisonzi. “Community banks have a unique opportunity to reclaim their leadership position as the source of growth capital for emerging businesses.”
“What we are seeing is an enormous interest in crowdfunding among bankers, investors and businesses,” Kaselionis said. “The pace of adoption and demand promises to grow steadily as more and more companies successfully fund their companies through this emerging market. Everyone recognizes that our capital markets and investment opportunities are evolving quickly and they seek to learn and educate themselves to see how they may benefit by being part of this economic tsunami.”
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