Corporate Matters

South Dakota de novo opens amidst mergers; Minnesota national converts to Iowa state; Missouri bank buys and sells [Continue]

Chronicles

Upper Midwest banks hit with more civil money penalties; Minnesota bank buys United Residential Mortgage; Fed Banks launch campaign to promote Canada service [Continue]

Community banking can be proving ground for public service

What do community bankers and politicians have in common? “A banker kisses up to their boss while a politician kisses babies for the camera to keep their job,” said Michelle Toll, vice president of The State Bank Group, Wonder Lake, Ill., with tongue in cheek. [Continue]

Straight talk: Pro-active clean-up

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently quipped that if the United States wants to destabilize the economy of a hostile nation, it should load a C-130 with mortgage bankers and dump them over the area from 30,000 feet. The only thing worse than being a banker these days is being a mortgage banker. Trouble is, most … Read more

Notebook

Fargo bank gives its employees cash to donate State Bank and Trust of Fargo, N.D., is giving every full-time employee $1,000, every part-time worker $500 and asking them to spend the money on someone in need, sometime between now and June 30. The total amount distributed exceeds $500,000. Each employee also received a digital video … Read more

National News

ABA survey finds mixed news on late payments Credit card delinquencies continued to fall in the third quarter but late payments for home, auto and home equity loans increased in the same period, according to the American Bankers Association’s consumer credit delinquency bulletin published Jan. 3. While credit card delinquencies fell to 4.18 percent of … Read more