April 24, 2022

The Montana Housing Partnership invites you to the 2022 Annual Housing Conference, which will be held virtually on June 14-15, 2022. We are excited about the opportunities that will be available this year. The conference will be utilizing Whova, which allows attendees a great deal of access and interactive ability.  

The 2022 ICBA Live was held in San Antonio from February 27-March 3rd. The weather was nice and the opportunity to reconnect with banking
industry colleagues from across the nation was enjoyed by all.

Those raised without much financial guidance understand how important it is to learn about money early. Especially with saving and investing, applying financial knowledge from childhood is key to compounding financial gains. Thankfully, there are many resources you can use to inform your children about economics, so they are set up for a promising future. Here are five tips you can pass along.

On Mar. 16, 2022, Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (the “Company,” “Eagle”), the holding company of Opportunity Bank of Montana (the “Bank”), today announced that Peter J. Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer, will retire at the end of the year. The Board of Directors named Laura Clark, the current Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, to succeed the position of President of the Company and the Bank, effective Apr. 1, 2022. She will also join the Board of Directors at that time. Following Mr. Johnson’s retirement on Dec. 31, 2022, Ms. Clark will assume the responsibilities of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank.

MIB Outstanding Young Banker Award This award is to recognize upcoming leaders in Montana’s banking community, and we honor one special young banker each year. The recipient of this award will receive free convention registration, three nights of lodging during the 2022 MIB Annual Convention — held July 27th-29th 2022, in Whitefish — $100 in

Helena Area Chamber Names Opportunity Bank 2021 Business of the Year Opportunity Bank has been named the 2021 Business of the Year by the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s 15th Annual Awards luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.In recognizing Opportunity Bank, Chamber Board Chair Bob Heberly noted, “There

San Antonio — The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced the election of its 2022-23 Executive Committee during the 2022 ICBA LIVE national convention in San Antonio.

Rising Rates: It’s Time to Implement a Marginal Cost Culture in Your Bank
Rates are on the rise. Banks are watching what their competitors are doing with their deposit rates. Richard H. Thaler, Behavioral Economist and recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, once summed up the human gut-level emotion of peer pressure and competition:

As the competition for quality employees increases and hiring needs escalate, there’s more pressure for banks to improve their onboarding process. The last thing a community bank wants to do is restart the time-consuming (and often expensive) hiring process because a new employee voluntarily leaves after just a few months.

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.

More financial institutions are focusing on improving financial inclusion as the pandemic continues to expose inequalities in access to services. Some institutions have already worked underserved, and under-banked communities are actively engaged in solving the issue, but others might be wondering how to get started.

Community bankers are nothing if not predictable, and I mean that as a compliment. They are bright, enterprising, have a nose for the risk/reward dynamic and a sense of duty and loyalty to their customers and staff. They’re also deathly afraid of rising interest rates.

BHG Financial is transforming the financial industry — leveraging the power of data, analytics, and cutting-edge technology to become the number one source for professional loans and the creator of the largest community bank network in the country.

As community bankers, we know relationships matter. Our actions in support of local schools, nonprofits, businesses and other community institutions make a difference, and when our customers see our commitment to our communities, it deepens their connection with us.

In today’s tumultuous environment, optimism is a skill worth cultivating. Thankfully, that glass-half-full attitude comes naturally for community bankers. So, as I take the helm as ICBA’s chairman, I do so with a healthy dose of positivity.

Montana is now well into the Spring months. Having grown up in Montana, this is one of the best times of the year to be a resident of the Treasure State. Spring sees the leaves returning to the trees, the grasses are greening up, bears are coming out of hibernation, and the roads into Glacier National Park are being plowed open.

It’s April Fool’s Day today, and I cannot help but think about how crazy the world has become in a relatively short time. I’m not quite sure who the fools are, but I may have some idea! One thing I do know is that my time as MIB President is winding down, and it would be foolish not to reflect on the past few years and see what I can glean from my time as the MIB President.