Pandemic affecting credit card payments
CardX, a Chicago-based company that passes the fee for credit card transactions on to consumers and away from merchants, considers itself both a fintech and a regtech. Michael Tomko, chief operations officer, explained how redirecting this fee helps small businesses and their banking partners. ...
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A year that put us to the test
2020 reminds me a little of the George W. Bush presidency. It was progressing rather undistinguishedly, and then 9-11 happened ...
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Income bounces back in 3Q as margins drop
Banks pulled in $51.2 billion in net income during the third quarter, a 10 percent decline from 2019 numbers, but ...
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Farms yield uncertainty for ag bankers
2020 has been a year of great uncertainty and extreme swings in the ag economy. The year started out with ...
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Chronicles
Alerus buys retirement services company
North Dakota’s Alerus Financial is beefing up its retirement and health benefits services division by acquiring Retirement Planning Services, Inc., ...
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RMI dips for the first time since April
The Rural Mainstreet Index decreased for the first time since the pandemic began, when April’s measure plunged to a record ...
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Wyoming shoots ahead in digital asset industry
The state of Wyoming is on the brink of becoming a trailblazer in the world of cryptocurrency now that it ...
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Ag lenders concerned about credit quality
Credit quality and the deterioration of agricultural loans remain top concerns for ag lenders as the farm economy works through ...
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ChoiceOne opens Macomb LPO
Michigan’s ChoiceOne Bank is opening a loan office in the northeast Detroit metro area this month ...
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Banks tighten lending standards, weigh forbearance considerations
The Federal Reserve Board’s October 2020 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices stayed relatively consistent with the ...
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People
Merchants names market president
Larry Bodin has been promoted to market president for offices in Onalaska, Wis., and La Crescent, Minn., for Merchants Bank, ...
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Peoples names COO, CRO
Robert Lowry was named executive vice president, chief operating officer of NorthWest Indiana Bancorp and its subsidiary Peoples Bank, both ...
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Banks name directors
Three Midwest banks announced new directors: Minnesota's Pioneer Bank, Illinois' Old Second National Bank, and Michigan's Independent Bank ...
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Opinion
Agricultural roundup
In late 2019, when ag bankers reflected on the year and forecast expectations for 2020, they foresaw classic perennial challenges: ...
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Carranza gets a big start at the SBA
September 30 marked the close of the 2020 fiscal year for the country; what an enormous year it turned out ...
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Let’s stop being so doggedly predictable
I have a friend named Steve with whom I share a monthly dinner out with our respective spouses. Steve is ...
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Community Relations
Indiana banks honored for community service
Alliance Bank, Francesville, and First Savings Bank, Jeffersonville, have been honored with the Indiana Bankers Association Commitment to Community Awards ...
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Great Western hands out ‘Gifts of Gratitude’
Sioux Falls-based Western Bank is honoring outstanding individuals across its footprint through a one-time award program called Great Gifts of ...
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Indiana bank funds food truck
Bippus State Bank is providing funds to bring a food truck to local Indiana schools to feed more than 500 ...
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