February 16, 2022

I’ll let you in on a secret: sometimes your columnist runs out of new ideas to cover. A dearth of new products, no new regs, a stable rate environment — all of these can cause a writer to run aground while sailing the financial seas in search of material.

In today’s world, every business is an IT business. Yes, even your bank. That’s why it’s more important than ever to manage your information technology well. But there are two sides to the IT coin. At JMARK, we call these the operations of IT and the business of IT. Both must be handled with strategic intention.

The Annual December Board Meeting was held on December 13 and 14 at the MIBA Headquarters in Jefferson City, MO. The members were able to meet on the latest topics and also celebrate the Holiday season. Thank you to MIBA’s newest Endorsed Vendor, Creative Planning, for Sponsoring the event.

Mid America Bank Hires Abbott as VP Treasury Management Officer Mid America Bank is pleased to announce Michelle Abbott has joined the Bank as VP Treasury Management Officer. In this role, she will be responsible for sales, administration and development of the Bank’s treasury management products and services, as well as digital banking solutions. Michelle

Contributors to the MIBA Political Action Committee are recognized for their generosity on the Association’s website and at the MIBA Annual Convention and Exhibition. Different levels of contribution have been set to recognize supporters of our Political Action Committee fund and to make the Association’s membership more aware of this important facet of our work on behalf of the political agenda of community banks across Missouri.

Recently, MIBA sat down with newly elected board member Casey Hopkins to gain insight into his life and work in community banking. He was also recently appointed president of the Bank of Old Monroe.

In my last writing, I discussed Congressional redistricting and the musical chairs that would occur due to Senator Roy Blunt’s announcement he would not seek re-election in 2022.

Where are your main bank and branches located? What is the market like?
First Midwest’s main bank is located in Poplar Bluff with branches in Columbia, Puxico, Piedmont, Van Buren and Greenville. We also have a sister charter with branches in Dexter, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, Jackson and soon Springfield. We’ve been fortunate that the majority of our markets are constantly growing, with new development and an increase in population. This growth also promotes an increase in bank competition. There are now 10 or more banks in most of the markets we serve.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained many parts of the global economy over the last two years. Among those most affected are individuals who lost jobs (temporarily or permanently) and had difficulty paying rent on time, causing a ripple effect throughout the rental industry.

As 2021 was coming to an end, you could feel the excitement of Christmas approaching. Many of us were looking forward to spending time with our families, and our kids (or grandkids in my case) were excited to see what surprises Santa had in store for them. My wife Jackie always ensures our grandkids make out okay, and I hope you and your families were treated well at Christmas too.