Earned wage access is the future of payroll, and community banks should be the ones making it available to companies and their employees. EWA is a service employers offer with their financial institution and payroll processor that makes it possible for employees to collect their pay whenever they want. Forget about the monthly, biweekly or weekly paycheck. With EWA, an employee can receive by direct deposit the money they have earned up to that moment. [Continue]
Mary Buche first felt the sting of discrimination as a child, watching her mother, a Korean immigrant who came to the United States in 1968, being treated unfairly due to her language skills. The impact of such treatment informs Buche’s work as senior vice president and relationship manager at the $866 million Kansas City, Kan.-based Bank of Labor; it earns her respect from her peers; and it led her to be recognized as one of BankBeat magazine’s 2021 “Outstanding Women in Banking.” [Continue]
Though a self-described “banker by accident,” Betsy Johnson embodies many of the exemplary traits community banks desire in their leaders — selflessness, a desire to develop staff and tireless commitment to the communities she serves. Under Johnson’s leadership, the nearly $316 million Solutions Bank acquired Poplar Grove State Bank, Poplar Grove, Ill., in 2020, expanding the bank’s existing market. Solutions Bank is now acquiring the $120 million Durand State Bank, Durand, Ill., a transaction expected to be completed this year. [Continue]