January 28, 2025

Visit financialedinc.com/webinars for 200+ Bank Webinars.

Bank Compensation Consulting (972) 781-2020bcc-usa.com Bankers Security Inc. (816) 358-0883bankerssecurity.com Community Banker Visa (800) 675-6284www.miba.net/community-banker-visa.html First Bankers’ Banc Securities Inc. (314) 835-4908fbbsinc.com Flat Branch Mortgage Services (314) 808-3918flatbranchhomeloans.com forbinfi (319) 274-8492www.forbinfi.com ICBA (202) 659-8111www.icba.org ICBA Securities (901) 762-5510www.icba.org/icba-securities JMARK Business Solutions Inc. (417) 863-1700www.jmark.com Midwest Independent BankersBank (573) 636-9555mibanc.com QwickRate (800) 285-8626www.qwickrate.com/qrweb/XSP/home/home.xsp SHAZAM (972) 765-2759www.shazam.net

In the banking industry, technology has evolved, customer expectations have grown, and competition seems to pop up on a new corner every month. Now more than ever, financial institutions take comfort in the steady, meticulous, proven products and services that have earned FIPCO (Financial Institution Products Corporation®) its reputation as a trusted leader in form sets, credit and deposit software suites, staff training and compliance management.

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.

Mid America Bank is pleased to announce Amber Cope has been hired as branch manager of its Osage Beach Branch. In this role, Cope will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations and sales function of the branch. She will lead the branch in making sales calls, conducting training, processing transactions and setting up new accounts.

U.S. banks are in good condition with solid earnings, sound asset quality and regulatory capital levels above required minimums. This assessment comes from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in its semiannual Supervision and Regulation Report published in November. The report covers banking system conditions in the first half of 2024, as well as regulatory and supervisory developments for the institutions under the Fed’s supervisory umbrella.

Most representatives of the broker‑dealer industry have been suggesting to their customers, especially community banks, that their collection of bonds could be situated to perform pretty well in 2025. You can be forgiven for rolling your eyes if you’ve heard this. And I get it: Persistently stubborn inflation forced the Federal Reserve to hike rates and now to keep them elevated for the foreseeable future. This, of course, has kept the market values of your portfolio depressed for going on three years now.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

For more information contact Rebecca Young at ryoung@miba.net or visit our website at www.miba.net.

Where is your main bank and branches located? What is the market like? Our main bank is located in Carrollton. We have three other branches located in Marshall, Sedalia and Blue Springs. I work at the main branch in Carrollton. We specialize in ag, commercial and secondary markets. What is something unique about your bank?

Wire fraud has become one of the most significant threats facing community banks in the last few years. Wire transfers used to be seen as an efficient and secure way to transfer funds from one account to another. However, because the transfers generally take place almost instantly, fraudsters are focusing their attention on ways to access customer account information to initiate wire transfers, and as a result, wire transfer fraud and resulting losses have increased significantly.

With less than one month left in his eight-term Congressional tenure, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer released the following statement regarding his legacy serving Missouri’s Third District:
“Above all, I’m proud to have advocated on behalf of thousands of individual constituents dealing with federal agencies. From gaining access to veterans’ benefits to acquiring passports for family vacations, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve Missouri’s Third District.”

Register today at icba.org/live.

The 2025 Session of the Missouri General Assembly kicked off at noon on Jan. 8. As expected, Dr. Jon Patterson and Alec Riley were elected speaker of the House and majority leader, respectively, key leadership positions in the House. Cindy O’Laughlin and Tony Luetkemeyer were elected president pro tem and majority leader, respectively, key leadership positions in the Senate.

Joe Armour was born and raised in historic St. Charles, Missouri. From a young age, Joe knew that he wanted to be a banker, making him the first to choose this career path in his family. “I think the reason why I went to banking is that, as a banker, you get to help people. Many people don’t see banking that way, but that’s what bankers do, they help people,” Joe said.

The start of a new year brings with it opportunities, and as we enter 2025, we do so with an eye toward the potential that awaits. For years, we’ve been seeking balance across a number of areas, encouraging regulators and legislators to initiate more proportionate rulemaking, embracing innovation for our banks to become nimbler and more efficient, and engaging in education to expand our knowledge in today’s banking environment. This year, we’ll see results through focused strategy and hard work.