US-based business management consultancy OneAccord, headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, has been appointed as the exclusive strategic-planning referral partner for member banks of the Washington Bankers Association (WBA), strengthening the association's service offering to community financial institutions across the state.

425 Business reported that the partnership gives WBA member banks direct access to OneAccord's Financial Institutions Practice, a specialist advisory team with more than 25 years of experience serving community banks and credit unions.

WBA chief executive Duncan Taylor said the association was drawn to OneAccord's personal and practical approach to strategy, describing it as work that goes beyond once-a-year check-ins. "It's about people moving in the same direction, with shared purpose and energy; a living, breathing expression of an organisation's mission," he said.

OneAccord's Financial Institutions Practice focuses on operational challenges specific to local financial institutions, including multiyear planning, executive alignment and growth strategy.

Managing principal Michael Kadel said: "Community banks today don't just need a strategic plan, they need a plan that their leadership teams can align around and actually execute. That's what we do. We sit alongside leadership, help them cut through the noise, identify the right priorities, and build the structure to follow through."

CEO Nick Anderson said community banks are the backbone of local economies, underscoring the firm's commitment to the sector.

The firm has completed more than 750 client engagements across 27 US states, bringing a hands-on partnership model to financial institutions nationwide.

The WBA partnership marks a significant expansion of OneAccord's reach within the US banking association sector.

Discover the full story behind this exclusive partnership and what it means for community banking.