Pub. 5 2017 Issue 3

12 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org Stephen Murray My name is Stephen Murray and I am currently a senior at Montana State studying business with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Accounting. I reside from Helena where I learned to appreciate the great state of Montana. If I have some free time from school and work, you can find me on the river, golf course, or ski hill. These hobbies are what initially drew me to the university. I wanted to attend somewhere that not only is a great college but has a variety of outdoor activities. In my sophomore year, I decided to pursue a finance degree in the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship which lead me to be a part of the 1st annual Com- munity Banking Internship program directed by Tim Harvey, a finance professor at Montana State. I was a part of eight students who were accepted to take part in the program. This program enabled finance majors to get exceptional experience while still being able to stay in Montana. Apart from a few participants, each intern was hired by a different bank around the state but I was lucky enough to be hired by Opportunity Bank of Montana. While working at OBMT, I had the role of a credit analyst where I focused on underwriting loans, creating lender evaluations, and building credit displays which were presented to upper management. The experience I gained at the bank was nothing but extraordi- nary. The employees at OBMT were friendly and accommodating. I quickly got a sense that no matter how busy they were, they always put the customer first. As a credit analyst, I could apply the skills gained at JJCBE in real-life practice. This included, but was not limit- ed to, building balance sheets, income, and cash flow statements to assess the credit worthiness of potential clients. I was also responsi- ble for using a Broker’s Price Opinion (BPO) or a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to complete a lender evaluation and comparative market analysis spreadsheet. If a market adjustment for the collat- eral was not completed by the appraiser or broker, it was my job to create an adjustment in a comparable market analysis spreadsheet I helped create. Being from Montana, I hope to someday have a career where I can give back to the local community in a positive way and this internship showed me what it would take. The skills gained in the 10-week internship will be lifelong skills which I will continue to benefit from in my future career. I will also like to note that with a scholarship provided by the Montana Independent Bankers Associa- tion, I was able to receive adequate funds to continue my education at Montana State. Alex Cady I am Alex Cady and I will graduate in Decem- ber from Montana State University with a Business Finance major and an Ac- counting minor. I grew up in Belgrade, Montana and graduated from Belgrade High. I wanted to attend college where I could enjoy the outdoors. I de- cided to attend MSU and pursue a business degree. I thought that with this degree, there would be a wide range of careers that I could pursue. The College of Business Banking Internship Program was brought to my attention through many of my classes and, specifically, Tim Harvey. This was my first opportunity that could lead to a career. I was interviewed along with several other students from the College of Business to work at Stockman Bank. They were pleased with my interview and offered a summer internship in Miles City, Montana. I would work there as a trainee and would be able to see multiple departments within the bank. This would also allow me to build my understanding of credit and credit quality. I could not have asked for a better place to work than in Miles City. Most of the summer was spent focused on credit. The emphasis of the credit work was reviewing credit quality and preparing credit presentations. Many of the skills that I learned throughout school in the college of business were applicable in this setting and it also allowed me to expand my knowledge and apply it in real world situations. The internship gave me a good idea of what it is like to work in community banking. Working for a smaller community bank provided me with a wonderful opportunity of continuing my interest in finance in Montana. THE NATION'S f/RST BANKERS'BANK First For Your Success United Bankers' Bank is proud to be the nation's first and the upper Midwest's largest bankers' bank, covering 1 4 states and serving over 1,000 community banks from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes. We can't wait to share our passion for community banking with you! For more information, contact your Montana Calling Officer: CraigMcCandless SVP Correspondent Banking Regional Sales Manager 406.281.2625 craig.mccandless@ubb.com First for Your Success'" www.ubb.com • Member FDIC 800.752.8140 MSU COMMUNITY BANK PROGAM INTERN NOTES