Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Staff at MBA

BANCSERVE PRESSMONTANA BANKERS

ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Chairman: Sam Waters, President/CEO First Community Bank Glasgow, MT

President/CEO:Steve Turkiewicz, CAEHelena, MT

Vice Chairman:Rex Phipps, CEOGarfield County BankJordan, MT

Secretary/Treasurer:Bill Lucas, Market President - BillingsU.S. BankBillings, MT

Immediate Past Chairman:Bruce Glennie, Eastern Montana Business Banking Manager Wells Fargo, N.A. Billings, MT

BOARD OF DIRECTORSWestern:

Tom Swenson, President/CEOBank of Montana Missoula, MT

Southwestern:

Tim Combs, PresidentFirst Madison Valley BankEnnis, MT

Robert DeWit, PresidentManhattan State BankManhattan, MT

Northcentral:

Scott Geda, Senior Vice PresidentFirst Security BankFort Benton, MT

Bruce Hoyer, President/CEOBelt Valley BankBelt, MT

Southcentral:

Jay Harris, PresidentYellowstone BankLaurel, MT

Josh Webber, PresidentFarmers State Bank of Denton Denton, MT

Andy Rio, President/CEOLittle Horn State BankBillings, MT

Visit us on the web at www.montanabankers.com Or call: 800/541-5126

Nov-Dec, 2016

Inside this Issue

Election Recap and Looking Forward Pg. 3

Compliance Alliance Questions of the Month Pg. 4

Graduates of Pacific Coast Banking School Pg. 5

The Rising Risk of Ransonware Pg. 6

Graduate School of Banking at CO Scholarship info Pg. 8

2017 MBA Conferences and Workshops Pg. 9

MBA Web Seminar Education Program Pg. 9

Banker’s Toolbox Resources Pg. 9

Will MT Bankers Adjust to New Normal in Ag? Pg. 10

Upcoming Events Pg. 11

Banks and Personnel Pg. 12

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from

the Staff at MBACelebrating MBA’s Second

Excecutive Development Graduation

We present to you the graduates of our 2nd year of the Montana Bankers Association Executive Development Program. We had bankers from all across the state – Glasgow, Billings, Bigfork to Butte, meet in locations throughout the state – Missoula, Billings, Great Falls and Glendive! The group of twelve was taught by excellent instructors who scored between 4.5 - 5.0 on a scale of 5 in terms of knowledge and teaching ability.

Graduates were Brendan Briggs, First Security Bank of Missoula, Missoula; Bill Capko, First Security Bank of Missoula, Hamilton; Scott Degnan, Little Horn State Bank, Billings; Zack Dunn, Yellowstone Bank, Billings; Arron Fjeld, First Community Bank, Glasgow; Eric Hanson, First Interstate Bank, Bigfork; Shane Moss, Glacier Bank, Whitefish; Todd Olson, American Bank, Whitefish; Brandann Rohrer, American Bank, Whitefish; Sharla Samuels, Bank of the Rockies, N.A., Helena; Jerry Simonson, Western Security Bank, Billings and John Winston, Glacier Bank, Butte.

We celebrated graduation with the students and their mentors one of which is our current MBA Chairman Sam Waters of First Community Bank. Sam spoke to the group focusing on the Executive Development Program as one of the many outstanding educational program MBA provides to Montana banks working to help banks with their talent development and investment in their employees. The graduates

Nov-Dec, 2016 BANCSERVE PRESS

Or call: 800/541-5126Visit us on the web at www.montanabankers.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORSNortheastern:

Rich Kingsley, President/CEOValley BankGlasgow, MT

Bob Galt, President/CEOFirst State Bank of MaltaMalta, MT

Southeastern:

Rex Phipps, CEOGarfield County BankJordan, MT

Scott Klein, Vice PresidentFirst State Bank of ForsythForsyth, MT

Large Banks:

Scott Burke, President/CEOFirst Security BankMissoula, MT

Bruce Glennie, Eastern MT Business Banking ManagerWells Fargo, N.A. Billings, MT

Butch Bratsky, Sr. Banking Exec., Stockman Bank of Montana Miles City, MT

Bill Lucas, Market President - BillingsU.S. BankBillings, MT

Bill Toner, EVP/Cash Mgmt. OfficerFirst Interstate BancSystem, Inc.Billings, MT

BANCSERVE BOARDChairman:Sam Waters, President/CEO First Community Bank Glasgow, MT

President/CEO:Steve Turkiewicz, CAEHelena, MT

Director:Steve Wheeler, President/CEOFirst Security BankBozeman, MT

Director:Mike Grove, PresidentBank of the Rockies, N.A.White Sulphur Springs, MT

Director:Darrell Grogan, PresidentFirst State Bank of ForsythForsyth, MT

Continued from page 1.were each assigned one session from the year to give an overview to the group. Each graduate gave a 5 minute synopsis of the class in terms of: Why is this topic important to the future of banking? What Three Main Learnings? Three Personal Commitments and Three Benefits to My Bank.

Our moderator for the program, Curt Swenson of FutureSYNC International, asked graduates and mentors their thoughts on the program and some of the comments were:

“This series really gives you tools you can really use in today’s banking.”

The graduate banking schools “provide a deeper analysis of financials while this course provides a foundation for building a banking career.”

“This program, in its twelve months, builds on the skills of networking and collaboration within the students but also will serve us in our banking careers.”

The group’s key note speaker was Ross Duncan, President of Valley Bank of Helena. Ross shared the wisdom from a life that led to banking and motivating them to become the leaders we all believe they will be.

So now we embark on our third year of the Executive Development Program. We currently have 10 registrants (5 women and 5 men) from nine banks. You have identified that “next-generation” leader in your bank that you want to prepare for the future, now is the time to enroll them in MBA’s Executive Development Program. Registration for the program ends January 17th, contact Pam O’Reilly at [email protected] or 406-441-4703.

BANCSERVE PRESS

ABA DELEGATES

Governement Relations Council: Don Bennett, President/CEO Freedom BankColumbia Falls, MT

Conference of State Associations:Sam Waters, President/CEO First Community Bank Glasgow, MT

Grassroots Administrative Committee: Kevin Clark, VP First Interstate Bank Great Falls, MT

Taxation Admin. CommitteeMarcy D. Mutch, CFO/EVPFirst Interstate BancSystem, Inc.Billings, MT

STATE BANKERS ASSOCIATION GROUP

BENEFITS TRUST BOARD OF TRUSTEES

(Serving MT & WY)Chair: Jay Hammond, PresidentLusk State Bank Lusk, WY

Bart Langemeier, PresidentFirst Bank of BridgerBridger, MT

Kim Brooks, Controller/HR Off.First Community Bank Glasgow, MT

Cynthia Cheney, VP of HRFirst Security Bank Bozeman, MT

Brad Franklin, PresidentYellowstone Bank Sidney, MT

Jim Durfee, President/CEOSundance State BankSundance, WY

Gordon P. Johnson, PresidentAmerican BankBozeman, MT

Nov-Dec, 2016


STATE BANKERS ASSOCIATION GROUP BENEFITS TRUST

Continue on page 4

The 65th Montana Legislature convenes Monday, January 2, 2017, with the Republicans controlling both the Senate and House of Representatives. Congratulations go to the Senators and Representatives who will be serving in the 2017 Legislature. Special congratulations go to Representative-Elect Tom Welch, R- Dillion and Pioneer Savings Bank President. Now is a great time for MBA members to introduce yourselves and your bank to your legislator before he/she heads for Helena in late December. MBA will be updating our Legislative Web Page weekly and the MBA Government Relations Committee will begin their regular conference calls early in the session.

Governor Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox were re-elected. We will see new faces with Secretary of State Cory Stapleton, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Matt Rosendale, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. Congratulations to all in their election success.

The joint MBA-MIB Bankers Day@Capitol is scheduled for January 18, 2016, at the Best Western Great Northern Hotel. The Legislative Leadership will be invited to meet with bankers at a luncheon and all the Legislators will be invited to attend the BankersDay@Capitol Reception & Dinner that evening. For more information, contact Pam O’Reilly, [email protected].

After a bruising election season, and a pretty tough two years the 114th Congress finally adjourned after cleaning up some post-election loose ends – a temporary spending measure being the most important. The 115th Congress convenes on January 3, 2017 and the reelected and newly elected members of Congress will take office. The Republicans will maintain a healthy majority in the House of Representatives and a narrower majority in the Senate. Their first of order of business will be organize the Congress and then count the Electoral College votes on January 6, 2017 to certify the election of the 45th President of the United States. The presumptive winner, Donald Trump, will be inaugurated on January 20, 2017.

The announcement that Congressman Zinke will be nominated for Secretary of the Interior creates some new dynamics for state wide politics in Montana. By the time you read this the process for filling the vacancy should be settled. There was some confusion created by Montana State Law empowering the Governor to select a temporary replacement in anticipation of a special election.

Among Constitutional scholars, the opinion is the vacancy filling process is well defined by the Constitution and it does not expect a temporary or interim selection. The Constitution provides the vacancy is filled by an election. So, anticipate a state-wide election sometime late spring or early summer after Representative Zinke’s nomination is

Election Recap and Looking Forward

BANCSERVE/HEALTHSERVE STAFF

Government Relations: Steve Turkiewicz, CAE President/CEO

Education & Member Services:Pam O’Reilly Association Services Director

HealthServe:

Jill Martin, CISRInsurance Service Rep.

Deannie Higgins, CISRInsurance Service Rep.

Hannah Parrish, CISRInsurance Service Rep.

Amy MillerAdministrative Assistant

BANCSERVE Insurance Agency:Tempi Ruth, CIC, CAE, CISRSales Director

Bookkeeping:Karmen MillhouseAccounting Technician

MBA/BANCSERVE, Inc.1 N. Last Chance Gulch, Ste.4Helena, MT 59601Telephone:800/541-5126406/443-4121Fax: 406/443-7850

HealthServe1 N. Last Chance Gulch, Ste.4Helena, MT 59601Telephone:877/443-0520406/443-0520Fax: 406/495-2674

BANCSERVE PRESSNov-Dec, 2016


Compliance Alliance Question of the MonthQuestion:Can an LLC assign a POD on a business account?

Answer:Ultimately, this is a state law question, and so you should check the rules in the state where the deposit account is opened. However, it would be very unusual for this to happen. An LLC is an entity and doesn’t “die”, and therefore the POD designation wouldn’t really do anything since there is never a “death” of the LLC. Even if the owner of the LLC dies, the LLC continues on in existence.

If the customer wants to leave the business to a specific person, then it would be best to amend the formation documents to consider succession. The bank should suggest that the customer speak with their attorney to help them with corporate succession management.

Question:We have a situation where the borrower has PMI and they are at the automatic termination threshold where we would normally cancel the PMI. However, they are currently past due. Do we have to cancel it now, or would we be able to wait until they are current before cancelling PMI?

Answer:For automatic termination, the borrower has to be current per HOPA:“Automatic Termination A servicer must automatically terminate PMI for residential mortgage transactions on the earliest date that both:• The principal balance of the mortgage is first scheduled to reach 78 percent of the originalvalue of the secured property (based solely on the initial amortization schedule, in the case of a fixed-rate loan, or on the amortization schedules, in the case of an adjustable-rate loan, regardless of the outstanding balance), and • The borrower is current on mortgage payments.”

confirmed by the US Senate and he resigns his House seat.

The Senate Banking Committee will see a new Chair with Senator Shelby having completed the maximum terms as Committee Chair. Senator Mike Crapo, R- Idaho, is expected to be the Committee Chair. A moderate with a demonstrated history of being able to work on a bipartisan basis, there is renewed hope for financial reg reform early in the Congressional session. Senator Tester is expected to remain in the Banking Committee and continue to play a role in reg reform. Recently, Senator Tester commented on Trump’s reg reform efforts, “If he’s talking about giving some reg relief to those community banks, I’ll work with him, if he’s talking about giving reg relief to Wall Street, then we’ve got a problem because, frankly, that’s where the risk of a financial meltdown comes from.” Senator Tester has announced he will be seeking his third Senate term in 2018.



Andrew N. Larson First Security Bank of Missoula Craig S Lowham First Bank of Montana Jeff Moore First Interstate Bank Donald Rome First Interstate Bank Carrie K Taylor First Security Bank Matthew J. Tedesco Bank of the Rockies, N.A. Nicole S. Warwood American Bank Bozeman

Pacific Coast Banking School Announces New Graduates for 2016

Pacific Coast Banking School (PCBS) is pleased to announce the Class of 2016 graduates. These executives completed the three year PCBS graduate-level educational program focusing on leadership, risk management, and financial performance in the financial services industry. Participants attend a two-week resident session each August at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, and completed six written extension assignments and an original management thesis.

This year’s graduating class consisted of 224 individuals representing a diverse mix of financial institutions from forty-one states and two from Guam. Forty-three high-achievers were named to the honor roll. Nineteen people had their management reports selected for inclusion in the PCBS Lending Library. Six received Citations for their papers, whose confidential nature precludes them from being in the Lending Library.



The Rising Risk of RansomwareBy Craig M. Collins, OneBeacon Financial Services &

Joe Budzyn, OneBeacon Technology Insurance

Ransomware is the latest cyber extortion tool devised to threaten both businesses and individuals. Having affected financial institutions, hospitals and many other types of organizations, ransomware has been featured prominently in the news over the past few years. In 2015 alone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported 2,400 ransomware-related complaints totaling a loss of more than $24 million. While some affected have paid the ransom and recovered their computer data, others have lost theirs forever.

What is ransomware, and how can banks protect themselves against this formidable risk?

How It WorksSimilar to a virus, ransomware is malicious software that infects a computer. It can arrive via several mechanisms: a malicious email attachment, embedded in a malicious website download, attached to a phishing email, or even a web link that automatically downloads the ransomware when it is clicked. Once a user’s files and documents are encrypted, they become inaccessible until a ransom is paid. A user is instructed to pay ransom within a certain timeframe and through a method that is fairly convenient yet difficult to trace back to criminals. This may include wire transfers, pre-paid payment cards, Bitcoin or premium cost SMS services. While criminals say they will provide the user a decryption key necessary to recover their files, there is no guarantee that data will be recovered after the ransom is paid. Additionally, paying the ransom does not prevent future infection with the same or different ransomware and the cycle repeating.

Another type of ransomware locks a user’s device to prevent its usage. The lock message often accuses the user of a crime and appears to come from a branch of law enforcement. The files may not be encrypted during this attack. If the lock screen ransomware is removed, the files are typically untouched.

The Damaging Impacts While everyone is at risk for ransomware, banks are particularly attractive targets. Criminals recognize that financial institutions maintain a bevy of personally identifiable information and have the funds to pay a potentially lucrative ransom.

Beyond losing their files, banks that fall victim to ransomware can face monetary and business interruption losses, legal and IT service fees, lack of employee productivity and most importantly – compliance and reputational risks.

Mitigating Risks The most effective defense against ransomware is prevention, and banks must take precautionary measures to protect themselves and their customers.

Back Up Data. An extremely important process is to back up important data daily. This backup should be offline and disconnected from the computer, as some versions of ransomware can encrypt data stored on network drives or in cloud services when they are connected to the infected computer. The recovery function of your backup/restore procedure should be tested regularly. Effectively backing up current data will leave banks less vulnerable to the threat of ransomware. Even if a computer is locked, a bank won’t be forced to pay to recover its data.



Train Employees. Ransomware phishing attacks can come through in the form of an email with a malicious attachment or URL. It is important for employees to be vigilant of such attacks. To help raise security awareness, consider sending simulated phishing attacks to keep employees on their toes and help them recognize what a phishing attempt might look like. Advise employees not to click on links or open attachments or emails from those they do not regularly do business with.

Use Superior Security Technology. Even with proper training, employees may open an attachment or visit an infected site. That is why it is necessary for banks to take other standard security technology measures such as ensuring a firewall is in place. Anti-virus software should be used to detect and prevent infection, while web and email filtering software should be used to reduce exposure. It is important to apply security patches and regularly update all security software.

Segregate Access. Managing user access to data can lessen the risk of a successful ransomware attack. The number of employees with administrative access should be limited, and access should not be assigned unless absolutely necessary. Employees should only have access to the files or directories that are relevant to their job functions. Networks and data should be separated for each organizational unit.

In the Case of an Attack Despite a bank’s best efforts to protect against ransomware, an incident may still occur. If it does, both the FBI and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) encourage ransomware victims to notify law enforcement immediately. Law enforcement officials, such as the FBI, can assist in determining whether or not it is in the bank’s best interest to pay the ransom. In addition, the FFIEC recommends notifying the appropriate bank regulatory authority of any ransomware incident, and possibly filing a Suspicious Activity Report. Banks may also file a notice of a ransomware incident on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. A Costly CrimeRansomware is a rising threat for U.S. businesses as an increasing number of cyber criminals adapt it as their newest method of extortion. According to the FBI, these criminals collected $209 million in the first quarter of 2016 – which puts ransomware on pace to be a $1 billion crime in 2016. Banks must take preventative measures to avoid falling victim to a ransomware scheme and suffering potentially irreparable losses.

Craig M. Collins is President at OneBeacon Financial Services. He has 30+ years of experience in the financial institution industry. Collins can be reached at [email protected]. To learn more about OneBeacon Financial Services, visit onebeaconfs.com.

Joe Budzyn is VP & Senior InfoTech Product Manager at OneBeacon Technology Insurance. His 20+ years of experience include positions in network infrastructure and security. Joe can be reached at [email protected]. To learn more about OneBeacon Technology Insurance, visit onebeacontech.com.



Montana Bankers Association and Graduate School of Banking at Colorado Seek Applicants for Future Leaders Scholarship

Boulder, Colo. – The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) partners with the Montana Bankers Association each year to offer the GSBC Future Leaders Scholarship. Awarded to one banker per state, per year, recipients receive $1,360 per year for three years to attend GSBC’s Annual School Session, and must enter as a first-year student.

The GSBC Future Leaders Scholarship is offered through GSBC's co-sponsoring state banker associations. To access additional information about the scholarship, including the application, visit the GSBC Future Leaders Scholarship page.

GSBC’s Annual School Session is a 25-month, graduate school of banking that is hosted each July on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since 1950, banks have trusted the GSBC to prepare the next generation of community bank leaders. This legacy, combined with a cutting-edge curriculum, expert faculty and state-of-the-art facilities make GSBC’s banking school an ideal management training program for community banks nationwide.

The 67th Annual School Session will be hosted July 16-28, 2017. The application deadline is March 1, 2017. Candidates will be notified by March 31, 2017 of selection decisions.

Contact the GSBC office at 800-272-5138, or the Montana Bankers Association for questions. Prospective students should complete the application online and send supplementary materials (if applicable) to [email protected] by March 1, 2017. There is a maximum of one scholarship award per recipient. For more information, please visit www.GSBColorado.org.

2016 Montana/Wyoming Bank Salary and Fringe Benefit Survey Available

MBA has available for purchase the 2016 Salary Survey. We would like to thank the 34 participating banks for using this service and thus making it available to other members of the MBA. Contact Pam at([email protected]) or call MBA at 800-541-5126 to order your copy.

• Non-participating member banks $300• Associate members $400• Non-members $500



2017 MBA Conferences and Workshops

q 2017 Executive Development Program - currently 10 registrants!!q IRA Basic & HSA, FIB in Kalispell, March 13-14q IRA Basics & Update, Hilton Garden Inn, Billings - March-15-16q Ag Banker Conference, Best Western Gran Tree, Bozeman - March 23-24

Watch for our next set of Conferences and Workshops coming in 2017 at www.montanabankers.com or for more information contact Pam O’Reilly, Association Services Director, at 800/541-5126 or [email protected].

MBA Education Program Web Seminars The Montana Bankers Association is providing live web seminars targeted to a more advanced audience, in addition to new programs for previous participants. If you are looking to supplement your current education plan in a cost efficient manner, what better way to obtain both high quality education and save money?MBA continues to support Montana bankers in dealing with an ever challenging business environment by providing a multitude of educational opportunities. Whether it be expanded live seminars and conferences, to our webinar provider, Total Training Solutions, we look to provide a wide variety of options and pricing to meet the needs of all bankers (large and small) for education and training.So please, take some time and look at the offerings and if you are looking for something in particular and don’t see it – give us a call and we’ll see what we can do. Again, we value our members and are here to serve. For more details on each webinar please go to our website and view either our Calendar or Education page at www.montanabankers.com to see what we have to offer! Contact Pam O’Reilly, Association Services Director, at 800/541-5126 or [email protected]

White Paper: Cross-Training: It's Not Just for Athletes AnymoreThe Benefits of Cross-Training AML AssociatesThe demand for BSA/AML professionals is on the rise. Many institutions are scrambling to fill open spots quickly and sometimes overlook thorough training. However, cross-training AML “generalists,” or financial crimes subject matter experts, can provide long-term cost benefits to your institution.

Blog: The Latest Threat: Business Email Compromise (BEC) ScamsWire fraud continues to plague businesses. Recently, the most common method is the business email compromise (BEC) scam. According to the AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey, 64% of respondents reported that their organizations had been targeted in a BEC attack. What is it and how can you prevent it at your institution?



Will Montana Bankers Adjust to the New Normal In Agriculture?

USDA projects that 2016 net cash farm income will level out around $94 billion, down from the record $135 billion received in 2012. While 2016 will mark the third year in a row of falling farm income, the rate of decline has greatly lessened and farm income may be leveling off. Is it time for Montana banks to shed farm loan assets, or is it time to look for new opportunities in agriculture?

Agriculture faces additional pain as farmers continue to adjust to an extended period of low prices. Family living expenses are being trimmed. Farm equipment manufacturers are seeing reduced sales. Machinery dealers have a glut of used equipment on their lots. Cash rents declined slightly between 2015 and 2016. All of these developments are evidence that farmers are getting the message and they are making adjustments to their spending as quickly as they can.

There are some mitigating factors that will make the adjustments being made by farmers less painful. Despite political turmoil over the creation of the last farm bill (The Agriculture Act of 2014), agriculture ended up with a fairly conventional piece of farm legislation. In 2015, the first year there was a payout, the Farm Bill paid over $5.2 billion nationwide. In October USDA announced that the Farm Bill will pay out over $7 billion in 2016 to 1.7 million farmers nationwide. Montana farmers, who got very little in 2015 are expected to receive over $88 million in 2016. Remember that Farm Bill payments are based on prices received the year before by farmers. As a result, wheat growers in Montana stand to receive a healthy payment in 2016 compared to little or no payment in 2015 because 2014 wheat prices were above the trigger price, but 2015 prices were low enough to trigger a significant payment this year. Payments started flowing to Montana farmers in October.

Despite some significant money coming from the Farm Bill this year, banks and their customers will not escape all pain during this period of economic adjustment. But there are three key elements in place today that will help bankers mitigate the painful economic adjustments that are occurring in agriculture, and will give some bankers the opportunity to grow their ag loan portfolios.

Congress created a unique lending tool just for ag lenders at the end of the 1980s - a secondary market for farm real estate mortgages known today as Farmer Mac. In many cases community bankers have seen their farm customers grow beyond what they can accommodate due to risk management concerns and legal lending limits. Innovative community bankers have turned to the secondary market created by Farmer Mac and they now originate and sell their farm real estate mortgages preserving income, and the relationship with their farm customers while shedding credit and interest rate risk.

USDA, through the Farm Service Agency, now provides a credible guaranteed loan program that has enabled banks nationwide to extend credit to over 35,000 farmers who would not qualify for credit without the guaranty. Demands for funding of the guaranteed loan program hit all-time highs in 2016, reflecting the expanded use of the program by bankers and perhaps increased scrutiny of farm loans by bank examiners.

Bankers have access to better farm financial statements than ever before. Following the farm financial crisis in the 1980s, a group of bankers got together to try to standardize what constituted a standard set of farm financial statements and to reach some agreement on how to analyze them. The result, under the stewardship of the Farm Financial Standards Council, is an industry agreed to set of financial statements for agricultural producers and an agreed to set of financial ratios that bankers use to analyze the information. Agricultural lending is a key component of the success of many community banks, and it will remain so. Montana banks that have the desire and the staff needed to stay in agricultural banking will find new opportunities in this environment. It will not be easy, but it can be done.John Blanchfield is a frequent speaker at the MBA Ag Bankers Conference in Bozeman. He owns Agricultural Banking Advisory Services, an independent consultancy that works for agricultural banks and their customers. He oversaw agricultural banking policy for the American Bankers Association in Washington for over 25 years. He can be reached at [email protected].


Upcoming Events


National Conference for Community BankersFebruary 19-22, 2017

JW Marriott Orlando, Grand Lakes, Orlando, FL

Government Relations SummitMarch 20-22, 2017

Washington Marriott Marquis, Washington DC

Upcoming Events

Montana Bankers Association Spotlights an

Endorsed Product

MBA -MIB Banker Day at the CapitolJanuary 18-19, 2017

Best Western Great NorthernHelena

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Ag Bankers ConferenceMarch 23-24, 2017

Best Western Gran TreeBozeman

BSA ConferenceMay 16, 2017


Deposit Compliance ConferenceMay 17-8, 2017


Security ConferenceSeptember 11- 12, 2017Best Western Gran Tree

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September 13-15, 2017Best Western Gran Tree

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Or call: 800/541-5126

Banks and PersonnelBillings• Tammy Eide, a freshman at MSUB, received the

Stockman Bank Opportunity Endowed Scholarship during a presentation at the Foundation office. The $1,550 scholarship was awaded to two people this year and is part of an endowment sponsored by Stockman Bank. Jeremy Morgret, a vice president with Stockman, was on hand to present the scholarhsip, as well as a larger donation toward the endowment. He said the gift pushes the total Stockman endowment up to $100,000.

Bozeman• Big Sky Western Bank announced Char Kellogg

as its newest retail and loan support specialist.• Dick Walter has joined Big Sky Western Bank as

a vice president/business development officer. Conrad• Stockman Bank had an excellent display,

celebrating Fraud Prevention Week, with important information regardign the different kinds of fraud and what a person should do if found in that situation, Alyssa Garcia and Tonya Breding were instrumental in putting the display together.

Cut Bank• First Interstate Bank would like to thank the

community for their generous donations of coats, hats and scarves. First Interstate Bank served as the collection point and on Firday, Nov. 18, President Ryan Eney delivered the items to H.C. Davis Elementary School Principal Venus Dodson for distribution to the students.

Forsyth• First State Bank of Forsyth crew had a float in the

city’s 2016 Parade of Lights.Great Falls• U.S. Bank honors Burk with monthly award.

Denise Burk was recently named employee ofthe month for the Great Falls, NW location of U.S.Bank in October. Burk was nominated by her co-workers for her substantial help she provides to her co-workers as well as her relentless can do spirit in helping her business and consumer customers across the market. Burk upholds the company values by investing her heart and mind to

power human potential. Burk does this by doing the right thing, powering potential, staying a step ahead, drawing strength from diversity as well as putting customers first. Burk processes mortgage loans, auto loans, new accounts and assists customers with any additional banking or lending needs that may arise.

• U.S. Bank presented a check worth $5000 to the C.M. Russell Museum for the Fifth Grade Essay Contest. The following U.S. Bank representatives were in attendance to present the check: Becky Funk, Private Client Group Trust relationship manager; Mo Guerechit, Private Client Group Trust associate; Terry Potter, Private Client Group relationship manager; and Bob Butcher, community bank president.

• Laura Palagi has joined Stockman Bank as a real estate loan assistant for the Northwest Bypass location. She will assist with the origination of real estate loan documentation and will help guide customers through the real estate lending process. Palagi brings over 20 years of banking experience ot the position, which includes loan processing and customer service. She was previously a regional operations manager for a national bank in Great Falls.

Hardin• To celebrate National Cyber Security month, First

Interstate Bank offered a free seminar ot the public entitled Security in a Cyber World. Mark Kastner, our corporate senior IT security officer from Billings, presented habits and steps to protect small business and private information. The program covered the challenges as well as simple habits necessary to safely navigate today’s world.

• First Interstate Bank recently concluded their annual Coat and More drive for Big Horn County. Recipients of the donated new and gently used items were several of the Title One schools in our area, Montana Social Services and Youth Empowerment Coalition in Crow Agency. 188 coats, 82 pairs of children’s gloves and hats, mufflers and even childrens socks were handed over to those entities.

Manhattan• Charlie Pipal of Manhattan Bank sponsored the

2nd Annual Greater Yellowstone Agricultural Forum.

Visit us on the web at www.montanabankers.com



Stanford• Stockman Bank had warm refreshments as well as a

tasty array of hors d’oeuvres, inclding meats, cheese, roll-ups, dips and dippers for Stanford Stroll strollers to munch on. For the kids they had jello jigglers. Door prizes were awarded and the Bank elves reminded everyone of the Operation Santa wreath and donation cans.

Victor• The Victor Heritage Museum received $1,000 grant

from Farmers State Bank and Farmers State Bank also sponsored the horse-drawn trolly for the fundraising event.

The Montana Bankers Association commends all of our bankers and associate members for their achievements. If your bank has a promotion, retiree, special event,

fundraiser or any newsworthy item, please let us know. You may contact Pam at 800/541-5126 or e-mail

[email protected].

June 4-6, 2017

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Presented by the Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming Bankers Associations

Rapid City, South Dakota

Save the Date!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Staff at MBA

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