December tornado triggers disaster recovery plan

Arcadian Bank President Mark Heinemann wasn’t expecting a tornado to strike less than two weeks before Christmas. Though the unseasonably warm day brought the potential for severe weather, it was Dec. 15, nearly one month after the previously recorded latest date for a tornado touchdown in the state. As night fell, conditions worsened. Heinemann, sitting in the basement of his Albert Lea, Minn., home near the Iowa border and approximately 20 minutes away from the Albert Lea-based bank’s Hartland branch, wasn’t worried. [Continue]

Amazing Outside Directors 2022: Dennis Everson

Helping to run a community bank and an artisanal cheese shop may seem like two very different responsibilities. To Dennis Everson, director of the Yankton, S.D.-based First Dakota National Bank and co-owner of Dimock Cheese, the attraction in undertaking both roles stems from the companies’ similarities: Both have overcome potentially fatal challenges during their long histories and both have embraced a community-centric approach.  [Continue]

Amazing Outside Directors 2022: Dan Kadrmas

Leading the prominent North Dakota manufacturing firm TrueNorth Steel is more than a nine-to-five job for Dan Kadrmas. The North Dakota business leader’s day usually starts with check-ins between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m., and doesn’t end until the evening — and sometimes not even then. [Continue]

Cybersecurity risks evolve as war in Ukraine continues

Community banks must properly vet their managed security service providers and frequently update employee passwords to protect against the ever-evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, experts say. This comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine brings fresh fears that Russia could use hacking against U.S. companies to strike back against punishing sanctions levied in response to the invasion.  [Continue]

Success at social media requires minding reviews, policies

When a bank enjoys active social engagement, negative posts or a customer review of a misfiring product is inevitable. Addressing these posts takes a multipronged approach: Though your first instinct might be to delete the message or respond defensively, only remove reviews that clearly violate company policies on harmful content. [Continue]

Consistency, commitment key in maintaining social media platforms

Experts list several qualities for success on social media: Positivity, teamwork, differentiating yourself from competitors that offer similar products and services, and spotlighting important community work in a light-hearted way. Social campaigns that hit all the marks and maximize budget dollars will increase the number of followers, will attract new customers — and will possibly attract new employees in the process. [Continue]

How should community banks coexist with cryptocurrencies?

Though cryptocurrencies could be seen as a threat to traditional finance — they neither need an intermediary nor are they tied to a centralized government, bank or regulatory agency — consumers still indicate a strong desire for a bank to be involved. Community bankers worrying that demand for cryptocurrencies might eclipse demand for traditional bank products will be well-served to remember that consumers attracted to decentralized finance still yearn for the security offered by a bank.  [Continue]

Former Sunrise branches go to nonprofits

The recent decision by Twin Cities-based Sunrise Banks to sell two of its former branch buildings to local nonprofits illustrates the commitment of the company and its CEO David Reiling. [Continue]