William “Bill” Rosacker will retire as president of United Bankers’ Bank on April 30, 2019, the bank announced on Feb. 22. Rosacker has been president of the Bloomington-Minn., based bank since 1985, and he has been in the banking industry for more than 51 years.
Kaplan Partners, an executive search firm, has been retained by the UBB board of directors to identify candidates to become the bank’s next president.
Rosacker took over a struggling Independent State Bank of Minnesota – the nation’s first bankers’ bank – during the height of the agricultural crisis. The bank had less $30 million in assets and fewer than 20 employees in 1985. Today, the bank, which was renamed in 1993, has more than $900 million in assets and 132 employees. The bank’s market area grew from the state of Minnesota in the mid-1980s to a geography extending from the Pacific Northwest to the Ohio Valley today.
Prior to UBB, Rosacker started his banking career at F&M Marquette National Bank in Minneapolis for 16 years. At Marquette, he was involved in the correspondent bank credit card program, and became a division manager in charge of correspondent banking and investments, as well as a member of the senior management committee.
“I want to express my deep appreciation for the opportunity to work with and benefit from so many talented colleagues,” Rosacker said. “My position at UBB has also allowed me to engage with countless numbers of community bank and financial services industry leaders from around the country, and I thank them for allowing me and my team of dedicated employees to help support their goals and success.
“Our bank has demonstrated great resiliency and strength over the last 34 years,” Rosacker continued. “I’ve never been more optimistic about our ability to serve the ever-changing needs of our community bank customers, and maintain our position as an industry leader.”
“Bill has demonstrated a proven ability to build and grow businesses, identified creative ways to develop and enhance products and services, and has placed the success of UBB’s customers at the focus of everything we do. Through the talent of our people, UBB is poised for the next generation of growth,” said Bryan Grove, chair of the United Bankers Bank board of directors.
“Bill has been a remarkable leader for an extraordinary period of time for UBB and our industry. His innovative thinking, deep understanding of risk and correspondent banking, his expansive knowledge of the community banking environment, and ability to motivate and inspire the people of UBB have defined his legacy. Bill led the bank’s successful merger with Great Lakes Bankers’ Bank in 2016, and has pushed its entry into new technologies, industry innovations, partnerships and opportunities, while also investing in the development of bank leadership throughout UBB.”
“It has been a true honor of my life, to lead UBB,” Rosacker said. “There is not a better or more genuine industry in the world than community banking. At its core, it’s all about building relationships and neighbors helping neighbors succeed for a shared common goal, a stronger and better community. What I will cherish most about my time at UBB is the countless relationships I’ve formed with fellow community bank leaders and the opportunity to lead a talented organization of people focused on the success of community banks and the communities they serve. All of the current and previous UBB staff members I’ve had the privilege to work with over the past 34 years, deserve a heartfelt thank you for making my job at UBB the most enjoyable and rewarding one I’ve ever had.”
Rosacker was recognized by the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota with an award in August 2018 commemorating 50 years of service in the banking industry. The following October he accepted the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from BankBeat magazine in recognition of the impact he has had on UBB, its customers and the community banking industry across the country.
Rosacker has been active on numerous boards and in many organizations, including: Independent Community Bankers of America member and member of its Board of Directors, TCM Bank Board of Directors, ICBA Bankcard Board of Directors, Secretary of ICBA Executive Committee, member and Chairman of ICBA Political Action Committee and Auction.
Other professional memberships and associations he has been involved with include: Past President and Board of Directors at the Bank Holding Company Association; the Electronic Check Clearing House Organization Board of Directors, the Bankers’ Bank Council Treasurer, Past Chairman of ICBM and Minnesota Bankers Association. In addition, Rosacker was a faculty member of the Minnesota Commercial Lending School for two years and served on the school’s advisory board for three years.
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Rosacker is a graduate of the College of St. Thomas.