Positioning your bank for 2021
2020 has been unprecedented on many fronts. The way in which community banks have risen to the myriad challenges is one of the many reasons we appreciate being part of the industry and helping navigate the evolving landscape. As we look toward 2021, there are several recurring themes we are ...
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Holding companies find sub debt attractive in current conditions
Unlike the previous economic crisis just over 10 years ago, and the recessions that preceded it, the current downturn has ...
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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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Webb and team build a people-first village
What does it mean to be family built and community strong? That’s the question Aleesha Webb asked herself as she ...
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Chronicles
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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Mercantile expands into Ohio
Michigan’s Mercantile Bank is expanding into the Ohio market with the opening of a new mortgage lending center in Cincinnati ...
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People
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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Foresight subsidiary president retiring
Mary Hartman is retiring as president and CEO of State Bank in Freeport, Ill., a subsidiary of Foresight Financial, Winnebago, ...
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Opinion
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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The 2 percent solution: An argument for reparative investment
There are about 4,700 banks in America. Only 21 are Black-owned and they have less than $5 billion in assets ...
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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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