Foster Bank of Chicago, Anchor Bank of Madison, Wis., and Associated Bank of Green Bay, Wis., all took top honors in the financial education category of ABA’s annual marketing competition. Pioneer Financial Services of Kansas City, Mo., won runner-up recognition in the category. [Continue]
Lois Bednar, senior vice president of risk management for Grand Forks, N.D.-based Bank Forward, thought she was going to be a nurse. She wanted to work with the public and help people. As it turns out she has, just not in the way she expected. In 1989, Bednar took a part-time job at the Hannaford, … Read more
Lori Schneider has some perspective on financial crises. The fourth-generation Nebraska banker remembers her grandfather talking about the seven hometown banks that shut down during the bank holiday of 1933. Only Schneider’s Plattsmouth State Bank reopened. Now, as then, survival—to say nothing of success—depends on what Schneider described as “pretty basic principles,” especially the Cs … Read more
Marcia Malzahn likes to “wear a lot of hats”—finance and information technology professional, mother and wife, lifelong learner, weight lifter and author, for instance. In fact, Malzahn wrote the book on work-life balance, releasing Devotions for Working Women in 2006. With her wide range of interests and natural exuberance it’s easy to see why Malzahn … Read more
It has been a big year for Stefanie Kramer. The 40-year-old banker became CFO and COO of Shelby County State Bank, Harlan, Iowa, earlier this year. An active blogger and practicing novelist, Kramer had, shortly before her interview for this feature, received an honorable mention from Writer’s Digest magazine for a short story that will … Read more
When Margaret Howard joined the Bank of Wolcott, Ind., in 1967 she was the sixth staff member in a one-location bank. A couple of weeks after she started one colleague retired; about a year later another passed away. Howard, who “came in cold and knew nothing about banking,” was part of a dwindling team and … Read more
The recession may be over, but banks can expect additional market deterioration before things begin to improve, said Ron Feldman and Bill Conerly. [Continue]
National issues, particularly the Obama administration’s proposals for regulatory reform, dominated the annual Iowa Bankers Association’s convention, conducted Sept. 21-23 in Des Moines. [Continue]
Three banks recognized for community efforts Roger Claypool, IBA chairman, presented Community Betterment Awards for excellence in economic development, community service and financial education. Grundy National Bank, Grundy Center, won an economic development award for its “Taste Iowa!” food festival, first held in 2008 in Conrad, Iowa (where the bank has a branch). The two-day … Read more
Bankers try to clarify the financial story of a lifetime, without become the story themselves [Continue]