Writer: Liz Wheeler

Outstanding Women 2023: Janice Spooner

Janice Spooner is a “firm believer in creating exceptional experiences,” she says, and the nomination she received for BankNews’ Outstanding Woman in Banking supports that description. [Continue]

Outstanding Women 2023: Amy Meyer

Sartell, Minn.-based BankVista Senior Vice President, CFO and Chief Credit Officer Amy Meyer is one of BankBeat’s 2023 “Outstanding Women in Banking.” [Continue]

Meeting needs with a neobank

Successful people reimagine how things should be done, according to entrepreneur Mark Cuban. “They don’t ask people what they would want. They envision a complete reapplication. Then they decide what to do with what they just created.” With that definition, Totem Bank could end up being the poster child for entrepreneurial success.  [Continue]

Filling a Native Niche

Offering financial services to members of Federally recognized tribes can be a complicated endeavor. In order to meet those needs, different solutions have been created. [Continue]

Duty of Care: Community banks step up amid child care shortage

While the pandemic significantly impacted all industries, many have clawed their way back even as inflation, labor shortages and supply chain constraints continue. Child care has been a slightly different story, with a crucial industry failing to rebound since 2020 put it in freefall. [Continue]

Midwest banks find innovative ways to promote financial literacy

Throughout April, banks across the Midwest engage in activities to promote financial literacy. These activities range from tried-and-true classroom instruction to engagement on social media. Bank Five Nine, based in Oconomowoc, Wis., uses an omnichannel approach to foster financial education for both young and old. [Continue]

Young Americans offers nation’s only bank for youth

In the early 1980s, billionaire Bill Daniels read about a group of Denver students who were unable to obtain a bank loan and felt society was doing its youth a disservice by essentially excluding them from the banking system. Daniels was a cable television pioneer who’d earned his fortune in tech ventures and sports. In 1987, Daniels turned his attention to banking by forming Young Americans Bank, the world’s only fully-insured and regulated bank for people aged 21 and under.  [Continue]

Community bankers utilize creativity, persistence to fill talent pipeline

Last fall, 73 percent of employers reported difficulty finding employees, and nearly the same number of employers expect that difficulty to continue. In order to compete for talent, community bankers have had to get creative and strategic by partnering with nonprofits, state bankers associations and institutions of higher learning. [Continue]

‘Bank On’ catches on as way to reach the unbanked

Banking the unbanked has long been an industry phraseology — and a goal of the FDIC. But despite attempts by different organizations, a nationwide effort to bring the unbanked into the financial fold has proven unsuccessful. The “Bank On” national program offers a solution for both sides of the equation. [Continue]