Nebraska banker Greg Hohl was at an out-of-state meeting when he received a text message from his sister that there just might be a fire at their family-owned Wahoo State Bank. Cindy Hohl, executive vice president of the $92 million bank, had been sitting at her desk when someone reported smelling smoke. [Continue]
Natural disasters are nothing new, but climate scientists are predicting more extreme weather events, which will continue to affect entire geographic areas. And while it’s not realistic to think that all losses can be prevented, architects and engineers can design a bank with features that can limit losses from flooding, fire, snow, lightning and tornadoes — and keep employees safe. [Continue]
Noah Wilcox has had it up to his ears with the gloom-and-doom attitude that community bankers are unable to compete against the largest financial institutions. “I’ve heard it for a long time,” said Wilcox, chair, president and CEO of Grand Rapids State Bank, Grand Rapids, Minn., and chair/CEO of its sibling, Minnesota Lakes Bank, Delano. [Continue]
Charitable giving in the United States amounts to about $400 billion each year. Three fourths of it is given in the traditional write-the-check, lick-the-envelope way. The consolidation of charitable giving and online banking is similar to what happened with online bill-paying 20 years ago. [Continue]
Interest for Others is an online giving network for banks, with 100 percent of donations given to local charities. Bill Dolan, the founder of the initiative, had the idea in 2013 when he looked at the interest he had earned on one of his checking accounts — $3.43. [Continue]
Highland Bank is still very much a family-owned bank. Rick Wall, president and CEO, sits next to his brother and sister on the board, and the patriarch is nearly completely settled in retirement. Recently, however, the $526 million bank has made an effort to bring in outside perspectives to expand the board’s purview. [Continue]
During a typical board meeting at Nicolet National Bank, Green Bay, Wis., there are 16 people who meet for an hour and a half, and John Dykema might only open his mouth twice. “But people lean in and listen when he does,” said Bob Atwell, the bank’s chair and CEO. [Continue]
Kent Edson has always been a numbers person. Although he grew up on a farm, Edson didn’t want to be a farmer, so he never took any ag classes. In high school, he worked with the state as an engineer’s aid for an interstate highway system in Sioux Falls, so he thought he’d be an engineer. His high school bookkeeping teacher, however, told him he really should be a CPA. [Continue]
The meeting room at Park State Bank is still a little groggy at 7 a.m. Chatter is limited and coffee is essential. Yet Tom Palmer will already be well into his day as he walks in, having been rowing on the river since 4:30 a.m. Palmer sits down with the meeting material — notes and comments thoroughly prepped. [Continue]
If there is one thing that frustrates bankers the most, it’s core issues, said Trey Maust, Lewis & Clark Bank, Oregon City, Ore. Maust is former chair of the American Bankers Association’s Community Bankers Council, where he and fellow bankers helped establish a Core Platform Committee. [Continue]