A community bank is a depository or lending banking service that primarily serves businesses and individuals in a small geographic area. Community banking tends to emphasize personal relationships with customers in specific area. 

Community banking serves customers where branch networks are not available and often provide loans to local businesses and individuals who may not qualify based on the more standardized criteria for other lending products criteria such as credit scores, income, and other quantitative data. This model of banking applies with a limited number of branches that primarily serve local businesses and individuals who live nearby.

Community banking tend to focus on traditional functions such as accepting deposits and providing business loans, mortgages, and credit lines. Despite their emphasis on local customers, some have created online banking functionality that allows them to serve a wider audience.