January 2021

You have been a Montana community banker for many years. Tell us about your industry background, how you got into banking, and what Montana’s community bankers may not know about you.

Happy new year, 2021. Thank goodness the calendar has flipped over, and thank goodness for new beginnings.
What a wild and strange year 2020 was. We experienced a global pandemic and associated travel restrictions, unprecedented federal economic stimulus programs, lobby closures, wildfires, a presidential election, and high national unemployment. To say the least, the outgoing year was challenging both professionally and personally for each of us.

To say 2020 was a tumultuous year would be the understatement of the century. For bankers, it was an interesting year, to say the least. Most of us were flooded with the liquidity we desperately lacked just a few months prior. Real estate departments and title companies have wilted under the weight of non-stop re-finances and purchase money loans as real estate continued to trade at unprecedented levels. Interest rates hit rock bottom, and we are facing management decisions covering unfamiliar topics. Interesting times, indeed.

Rick Allen Kerr went to be with his Savior and sons suddenly on Oct.1, 2020. He was born April 22, 1953, in St. Ignatius, Montana to Ralph and Jane Kerr. Rick grew up in Charlo, Montana, with his four sisters. He graduated from Charlo High School in 1971. Rick could build anything with his hands.