In 2009, Sunrise Banks became a Certified B Corp, one of only a handful of financial institutions across the country to do so. The bank also became a legal Minnesota benefit corporation in 2015, shortly after the state made that designation available. [Continue]
Tim Keane and W. Kent Lorenz joined the board of First Business Bank, Milwaukee. They previously served on the board of First Business Bank-Milwaukee, which dissolved June 1 when its holding company, First Business Financial Services, Inc., merged its three bank charters into one. [Continue]
The “Best Banks in America Super Conference” hosted by The Emmerich Group on Sept. 11-13 in Minneapolis did not follow the conventional industry meeting script. There were no vendor pitches, no exhibit hall, no breakout sessions that sent groups of bankers into separate rooms. Instead, energetic music opened each session; people clapped along like they do during a time-out at an NBA game. [Continue]
Bob Steen, chairman and CEO of Bridge Community Bank, Mechanicsville, Iowa, has been selected by the Iowa Bankers Association to receive the James A. Leach Leadership Award, the highest honor bestowed by the IBA. Steen received the award at the IBA convention on Sept. 19 in Des Moines. [Continue]
Nearly a third of the banks in Minnesota took part in Minnesota Bankers Community Impact Week, an attempt to further banks’ volunteerism and active roles in their communities. Ninety-six banks, and more than 250 branches, committed to a wide array of volunteer opportunities throughout the state during the week of Sept. 18-22. [Continue]
Fargo, N.D.-based Bell Bank signed a brand ambassador agreement with Minnesota native, Stanley Cup winner and Minnesota Wild hockey star Matt Cullen. [Continue]
A curious bit of news came across the banking wires recently. Burger King in Russia had launched its own currency: WhopperCoin. Built on the same blockchain technology as bitcoin, such homebrewed money is known generically as cryptocurrency. While bitcoin has remained something of a curiosity to bankers, personalized currencies, particularly in commercial enterprises, are already being developed and tested by the biggest players in the market. [Continue]
I am hoping there is still a place for human initiative in banking. I understand banking is defined by the numbers: ROE, ROA, NIM, net income and much more, but generally I have found over the years it is the people behind those numbers who make the industry something special. [Continue]
Filing checks in the backroom at Citizens National Bank in Cheboygan, Mich., was the first job Susan Eno ever had. And soon, after 46 years, she will retire as bank president and CEO from Citizens National having only ever received a paycheck from that single employer. [Continue]
Every banker has heard more about cybersecurity in the last year than most of us care to hear in a lifetime. How much of what we hear is hype? And if it’s really that bad out there, how is a community banker supposed to keep up with it? [Continue]