In the small town of Plankinton, South Dakota, baseball is more than just a game – it’s a community tradition deeply rooted in the heart of Farmers and Merchants State Bank. For over four decades, the bank has been the driving force behind the local amateur baseball team, the Plankinton F&M Bankers, fostering a sense […]

by Charles E. Potts, ICBA Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer In recent years, community bankers have embraced constant change to drive the future of banking. As you follow your innovation journeys, you also are leaning into a cycle of continuous improvement: hiring, recruiting, building products and offering solutions on an ongoing basis. The […]

National pastime gives us some portfolio management guidance. by Jim Reber, President & CEO, ICBA Securities As we’re getting into the warmer months, it’s reassuring that baseball season is well underway. Your correspondent confesses a deep and abiding passion for the sport. While I’ve been only partially successful in getting my wife engaged in watching […]

by Derek B. Williams, Immediate Past Chairman of ICBA, President & CEO, Century Bank & Trust, Milledgeville, GA Throughout his banking career, my dad had a standard saying that became a regular refrain: “If you need a quick answer, it’s no.” Even though he worked to get to a “yes” more often than a “no,” […]

by Josh Hogue, Chairman of ICBSD & ICBA Federal Delegate, President, Reliabank Dakota We all know how integral our local banks are to the financial well-being of South Dakotans. Your steadfast dedication to serving our communities is truly commendable and sets us apart. It’s this solid commitment that makes us more than just financial institutions […]

by Rebeca Romero Rainey, President & CEO, ICBA The mere mention of change can send pulses racing and blood pressure rising. But while change can be hard, it’s unavoidable, and it’s only going to continue to accelerate in our evolving marketplace. To address it, we have rooted ourselves in strategy, which ensures that each time […]

by Megan Olson, President & CEO The ICBSD is driven by our mission to empower independent community banks. I cannot overstate the importance of engaged members for ensuring the continued growth, influence and prosperity of our association and the community banking industry across South Dakota. Active participation from yourselves and your respective teams is absolutely […]

“The question is always, ‘Why?’ Why sell a successful business? Well, there’s always the rest of the story.” In early 2023, Mike and Cheryl Wells sold their family’s business, Wells Enterprises — the renowned, Iowa-based maker of Blue Bunny ice cream. They recently joined an episode of the Sioux Falls podcast “Common Cents on the Prairie™” to share their […]

– Dixie K. Hieb, Davenport Evans, an ICBSD Preferred Partner OFAC – “What is that, and do I care?” The answer to the latter question should be a resounding “Yes” if you are in bank management, compliance, account onboarding, or transaction monitoring. OFAC, the acronym for the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. […]

Your friendly hometown bank is Richland State Bank, manned by a team of just five, who all wear many hats to serve their customers. Twenty-seven-year veteran of Richland State Bank, Pennie started as a compliance officer and assistant VP after working as an FDIC bank examiner. Tiffany joined the bank in 2015, drawing on her […]