Every bank has a CFO, but it’s likely that only one has a CFnO – a chief fun officer. That’s Sarah Trapp’s title at First National Bank of Syracuse, Kan., and, yes, her job is all about fun — surprising employees with free lunches, holding company-wide massage days, or recruiting them to put on costumes for skits that reinforce best practices. [Continue]
UMB Financial Corp., based in Kansas City, Mo., has drawn new attention from Wall Street, with Merrill Lynch rating it a “Buy,” due in part to its efforts to create long-term value by gaining market share across geographies and its various business lines. [Continue]
Richard McShirley has worked for years in the payments field and shared his thoughts on what banks need to be aware of when looking for payment solutions and how the technology behind them is changing. [Continue]
For leaders, the ability to self start and execute to conclusion with thoroughness, accountability and adherence to a core set of values during good times and bad is key, says the senior vice president/senior business banker at Highland Bank, St. Michael, Minn. [Continue]
Heartland has hosted more than 15 such farm-focused seminars in the past decade. The purpose initially was to offer help with marketing tactics and tech challenges but the event has evolved in recent years toward broader economic trends and crop prices. [Continue]
In the last 18 months, the CEO has steered the bank through construction of a new headquarters, a rebranding, hiring a president and buying another bank — all while remaining active on the board of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Community Depository Institution Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Continue]
Erin Procko, president-Minneapolis, Twin Cities Banking Director for Bell Bank, Fargo, N.D., offers her insights into what it takes to be a leader and how others can nurture their leadership talents. [Continue]
A year after Old National Bancorp of Evansville, Ind., closed on its acquisition of Anchor Bancorp of St. Paul, Minn., former Anchor Chief Financial Officer Dennis Nisler offers insight into how the deal came together. [Continue]
First Financial’s mission, which is also Sharon Manke’s frontline effort, is all about making the community a better place. The bank contributed more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service in 2017, with Manke offering up the equivalent of 46 work days as a volunteer. [Continue]
For many financial institutions, using cloud-based applications is the only way they can affordably and effectively deploy the products younger generations desire. They can help attract and keep them as employees, too. [Continue]