John DeDoncker, president and CEO of THE National Bank in Bettendorf, Iowa, completed the Ford Ironman Arizona triathlon in Tempe on April 13, raising $15,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in honor of his friend, former NFL football player Wally Hilgenberg. [Continue]
Foreclosure prevention group says more work is needed As of the end of January, the Hope Now Alliance of organizations working to mitigate home mortgage foreclosures has “not yet made a major difference in preventing unnecessary foreclosures,” concluded the State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group coordinated by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. In a report … Read more
Isn’t it ironic that at almost the same time the Fed lends J.P. Morgan Chase $30 billion to buy Bear Stearns, the FDIC hires 140 people to prepare for bank failures across the country? The message is resoundingly clear: The government will bail out the big guys, but the little guys will be allowed to … Read more
Treasury’s “blueprint for reform” ignores community banks, unlikely to spur change. [Continue]
Since the advent of the world wide web in 1994, analysts have been telling us the internet will change the way we do business. While most banks have incorporated the internet into their business operations, most havent delved into the cyber realm of social networks. Two financial institutions, however, are involved with very intriguing web … Read more
West Bank of Des Moines, Iowa, has struck up a partnership with a new internet-based social network that may bring in millions of dollars in deposits. [Continue]
Regulators urge community bankers to help resolve subprime mortgage mess. [Continue]
Many bankers traveled to central Florida recently, with both ABA’s National Conference for Community Bankers and ICBA’s annual convention taking place in Orlando. I came back from both meetings with some good reading material. Former football coach Lou Holtz, who delivered a compelling motivational message at the ICBA convention, is the author of three books. … Read more
However you assess the economy, its impact is up to you. [Continue]
Bankers, who deal with risk all the time, are perfectly suited to guide members of Congress through times of crisis. And, fortunately, that’s what happened Feb. 28 when bankers convinced the Senate that a knee-jerk reaction to the mortgage debt crisis would do a lot more harm than good. Senate leadership wanted to pass legislation … Read more