January 28, 2022

MIB ASSOCIATE MEMBER RESOURCE GUIDE
MIB Associate Members support your association with annual dues, sponsorships, discounted services
and royalty agreements. Please use these dedicated companies to meet your banking needs.

2021 MIB MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY American BankLivingston, MT406.222.2265americanbankmontana.com Ascent BankHelena, MT406.442.8870ascentbank.com Bank of BozemanBozeman, MT406.587.5626bankofbozeman.com Bank of MontanaMissoula, MT406.829.2662bankofmontana.com Belt Valley BankBelt, MT406.277.3314beltvalleybank.com Citizens Bank & Trust Co. of Big TimberBig Timber, MT406.932.5311ctznsbank.com Eagle BankPolson, MT406.883.2940eaglebankmt.com Farmers State BankVictor, MT406.642.3231farmersebank.com First Citizens Bank of ButteButte, MT406.494.4400fcbob.com First Montana BankMissoula, MT800.824.2692firstmontanabank.com First Security Bank of Deer LodgeDeer Lodge,

When I started my IT career over 20 years ago, the threat landscape wasn’t quite threatening. The world experienced a handful of viruses a year. They had pleasant names like “I LOVE YOU,” “HAPPY 99,” and even “ANNA KOURNIKOVA.” They were inviting. Don’t get me wrong. These attacks weren’t benign; they did damage. Some even

We find most banks have a high level of concern for the costs, the performance and the productivity of their business development efforts.

The current financial industry is innovative, but as banking organizations have expanded their activities, they have also faced an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Plus, COVID-19 complications have exposed several high-profile compliance breakdowns.
Federal and state regulatory agencies, legislators, and the general public are working to protect banking customers like never before. They are rigorously examining consumer and small business banking customer practices and regulatory compliance performance.

Compliance Q&A – Young & Associates provides banks and thrifts with support for their compliance programs, independent reviews, and in-bank training, as well as a full menu of management consulting, loan review, IT consulting, and policy systems.

Stockman Bank has been a long-time supporter of collegiate rodeo. Like Stockman, rodeos have deep Montana roots and exemplify the western values that make our state so great. We are proud of Montana’s collegiate barrel racers, wranglers, rough riders and rodeo stars.

Retail sales of adult-use cannabis began in Montana Jan. 1, topping $1.5 million in sales the first weekend alone. Looking at the experience of states that have previously implemented legal adult-use cannabis programs, we can predict fairly well what will happen next: a surge of investment, new businesses, and demand for capital.

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.

If you’ve ever seen a fish out of water, then you know exactly what it looks and feels like for a client when they are managing their investments through chaotic and volatile markets. When the fish is flopping around aimlessly trying to find safety in a cold Montana fishing stream, it’s like a client trying to find some form of protection while their account values are falling, and the media is melting down. As all this is happening, imagine a fish somewhere singing, “… take me to the river … put me in the water!” And that’s exactly where we come in: We can help!

Winter is upon us. Dec. 21 marked the solstice, the official start of winter and the shortest, darkest day of the year. But as I see it, that milestone also signals a transition to light, as days grow longer from there.

With the holiday season behind us, the concept of “present” takes on a frantic connotation. The quest for the right item can become a daunting task that takes away from its intended spirit of connection. That realization got me thinking about a book, The Present, which argues that the act of being in the moment is a gift unto itself.

The MIB Ag Lenders Seminar jointly sponsored by MIB and Bell Bank was a great success.

Welcome to the first 2022 edition of the Community Banker magazine. I trust the start of this new year finds you well and prospering. As we move into this new year, it is important to reflect upon all the challenges we have collectively faced over the last two years. But, it is also important not to let the negatives of 2020 and 2021 keep us from looking forward and recognizing all the positives in our lives.

I am writing this article shortly after the New Year, and as always, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and think about the upcoming year. Like most of us, I am somewhat surprised we are still mired in a pandemic with no sign of relief on the horizon. Maybe it was naivete on my part or possibly foolish optimism, but I certainly didn’t initially think there would be such enormous and far-reaching impacts, or we would still be amid a global pandemic going on three years. I’m sure most of you, like me, are growing weary of it all.