Fines, fees and votes
Price fixing is always political and it is nearly impossible to miss the partisan motivation behind this anti-competitive price cap ...
Security experts: Community banks must guard against cyber attacks
Community banks, though relatively small, are attractive targets for cyber criminals as “low-hanging fruit,” said Banking Superintendent James Johnson on ...
Lifelong Iowan’s service ethic informs role as state’s top regulator
Recently, Iowa Superintendent of Banking James Johnson talked about the condition of Iowa banks and the challenges facing bankers ...
Taking financial literacy beyond the classroom
Increasingly, social media is where Gen Z and millennials are migrating to find “edutainment” and news, using it an average ...
Chronicles
Wintrust Financial acquiring Michigan bank in $510 million deal
Rosemont, Ill.-based Wintrust Financial Corp. is acquiring Holland, Mich.-based Macatawa Bank Corp. in a $510 million, all-stock transaction. ...
Consumer sentiment stagnant for fourth straight month
Consumer sentiment was stagnant for the fourth straight month in March, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers ...
Credit outlook improves as soft landing odds grow
Bank economists are growing increasingly optimistic about chances for a soft economic landing, according to the ABA Credit Conditions Index ...
Court dismisses MBA lawsuit over NSF fees
A 2023 lawsuit, which pitted the Minnesota Bankers Association and one of its member banks against the FDIC, was dismissed ...
Community banker sentiments rise for third straight quarter
Community bankers are more optimistic about future economic conditions but still concerned over regulatory burdens, according to a CSBS index ...
Small business owner sentiments fall to 11-year low
Small business optimism fell to its lowest reading in more than a decade last month as inflation continues to stymie ...
People
First National Bank and Trust hires VP, commercial banking officer
Beloit, Wis.-based First National Bank and Trust Co. hired Greg Lundquist as vice president, commercial banking officer. ...
North Shore Bank CEO appointed to Wisconsin Banking Review Board
North Shore Bank President and CEO Jay McKenna was appointed to serve as a professional member on the Banking Review ...
New CEO named at Illinois bank
Jason Knoedler was named CEO of Bank of Springfield, Ill ...
Opinion
A case for the bank branch
Community bankers have been hearing for years about the decline of branch banking and the need to shift more services ...
Greatness contemplated
“Resistance is the catalyst to greatness.” I have been thinking a lot about that statement, shared by Lt. Col. Dan ...
Tackling the commercial real estate downturn
Jay Blandford, CEO of Austin, Texas-based community financial institution advisor Abrigo, shared his written views on the state of commercial ...
Community Relations
FHLB Des Moines, First Interstate Bank donate $2.5 million to nonprofits
Billings, Mont.-based First Interstate Bank partnered with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines to donate more than $2.5 ...
Gate City Bank, FHLB Des Moines donate to local affordable housing groups
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines and Fargo, N.D.-based Gate City Bank donated $850,000 last month to Fargo-based ...
First International Bank & Trust hosting giving campaign
Watford City, N.D.-based First International Bank & Trust is hosting its Live First Community Giving Campaign again this year. ...