Although the past year has been tumultuous for the banking industry, leadership at the Community Bankers of Wisconsin says the public is clearer today about the difference between very large banks and community banks than ever before. [Continue]
Members of the Wisconsin Senate are urging Assembly members to pass wage lien legislation opposed by the banking industry. [Continue]
Banks are increasingly dealing with other real estate owned; Tom Homberg of the Milwaukee law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., told bankers attending the Community Bankers of Wisconsin convention last month. [Continue]
Federal regulators are becoming increasingly forceful with enforcement actions, noted Tom Homberg, an attorney with Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., Milwaukee. [Continue]
Outstanding community banker named Carl Axness, chairman of Union Bank of Blair, Wis., was named “Outstanding Community Banker” by the Community Bankers of Wisconsin at the organization’s annual convention banquet on Sept. 17. Axness was CBW chairman in 2002-03. He also has been a member of the Wisconsin Bankers Association Ag Section, and has been … Read more
Attorneys representing the owners of an Illinois bank have filed an appeal of a July 13 U.S. Tax Court decision which could have significant implications for subchapter S bank shareholders all over the country. [Continue]
Regulators, recession test bankers’ bank business model [Continue]
With the fall session of Congress well underway, community banks are caught in a very dangerous cycle; careful congressional actions are necessary to alleviate the situation. Examiners are increasingly requiring bankers to set aside ample earnings for projected future losses. Some bankers even tell horror stories about being required to set aside reserves for loans … Read more
The cover feature in this edition addresses media. Banking is a big story these days and more reporters than ever are digging into call reports, enforcement orders and earnings information. Thanks to technology, reporters have almost instant access to industry information; media passes most of it on without meaningful analysis. The preponderance of easily accessible … Read more
This issue marks the first anniversary of the economic crisis. You remember September 2008? Federal regulators took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Sept. 7; Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy Sept. 15, the same day Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch; Treasury set up a money market guarantee program on Sept. 19; the Fed … Read more