When it comes to innovation, the newest things can be found in the most familiar places. As community banks have striven to innovate amidst the industry's challenges, they have found a friend in partnerships. Specialized third-party service companies know that customer service is what community banks do best. These companies have figured out how to meet the needs of community banks and, in a partnership with them, provide bank customers with the products they want. The result is a marriage of the face-to-face customer service of a community bank with the competitive product of its partner company.