Writer: Tom Bengtson

Graduate School of Banking students discuss top industry challenges, opportunities. [Continue]

Scott Ducke Senior Vice President Retail Lending Park Bank, Madison, Wis. $550 million in assets; 11 branches “Madison is a very competitive market, with a lot of banks and lots of credit unions,” Ducke explained. “We’ve had some tremendous growth in the last seven to eight years … primarily in commercial real estate. We do … Read more

Many of the bankers I talk to tell me lately they are working harder and making less – a recipe for irritableness if ever there was one. Things changed in a hurry. Only 18 months ago, the economy was strong and banks were reporting record profits. Last month, the FDIC reported that 56 percent of the … Read more

Harry Argue is retiring this month from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kirby Davidson has been named the school’s new president and CEO. Argue sat down in Madison recently with NorthWestern Financial Review. [Continue]

Economists and political leaders took the stage at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria for the annually convention of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota. [Continue]

The question of what it takes to be a successful CEO, which we consider in our feature beginning on page 8, is one that long has fascinated me. I have been collecting success stories (and failure stories) in the back of my mind for more than 20 years. As I mull those over, at least … Read more

Conditions around the state of Iowa are getting tougher for community banks, but Superintendent of Banking Tom Gronstal said at the annual convention of the Iowa Independent Bankers that he believes the future of the industry is bright. [Continue]

Economist Thomas Sowell makes a salient point about the function of pricing in his book “Basic Economics: A citizen’s guide to the economy.” When the number of people who want a product exceeds the supply, pricing reduces the number of people who get access to the product, he explains. The smaller the supply, the higher … Read more

We live in a world where thoughtless people share the intimate details of their lives in cell phone conversations loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear. Newspapers publish peoples’ salaries, and young women and men commonly walk around with their underwear showing. Let’s face it: this is an era where discretion has basically been … Read more

The Financial Services Roundtable kicked off its seventh annual community service celebration on July 1 in Maplewood, Minn., at Junior Achievement’s “BizTown.” [Continue]