Pub. 7 2019 Issue 2

4 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org Executive Director’s Report W elcome to our sum- mer edition of the MIB Commu- nity Bankers. This is our post-state-con- vention edition of the magazine. We had a suc- cessful convention this year. We had great speakers, a great venue, great vendors, and great attendance. Our con- vention was held at the Copper King Inn Hotel in Butte. The association has not held a convention in Butte in many years; but this year’s convention location was designed to bring the convention closer to home for our members who are located in the southwestern part of the state. We thought it appropriate to have an “Evel Knievel” theme this year because our convention was in the “mining city.” Mr. Knievel may not be Butte’s most favored son, but he may well be its most well-known. In keeping with this theme, attendees at our Friday night Vendor Reception were encouraged to wear their motorcycle gear. The 2019 convention was another great association event. The con- vention is always the best opportunity and time for our bank mem- bers and financial industry partners to get together, to learn together, to network together, and to recreate together as one community. We had a great lineup of speakers; including Mike Patterson, CEO of the Evel Knievel Museum; Jim Mathis, the Bank reinvention pro; Dan Stimpson of ICBA Securities; Jim Nowak of UBB; and former Montana Commissioner of Banking Annie Goodwin. We were also honored to be joined by ICBA President and CEO, Rebeca Romero Rainey. The association has been fortunate to have both Rebeca and Cam Fine join us at our annual event over the last three years. We very much appreciate the continued support the ICBA provides to the association. As we always do with our post-convention edition of the magazine, you will find within these pages the photographic images of the con- vention that capture some of its magic. MIB’s membership approved the association’s board and officers for 2019-2020. I am pleased to welcome Andrew West of Eagle Bank, Polson, as the new MIB president. I also want to extend the Associa- tion’s appreciation and gratitude to Tom Christnacht of First Security Bank of Deer Lodge for his two years of service as MIB’s president. Tom took great care of the association under his watch, and the as- sociation has grown in stature and standing as a result. Best of all, Tom didn’t “mess anything up” – despite his concerns about doing so. Tom will continue on the board in his position as immediate past president. With Tom’s ascension to immediate past president, Kenny Martin of First Montana Bank, will reassume a board position. Kenny has served on the association’s board for many years, and we thank him for his continued dedication to Montana’s banking industry. The following persons round out the MIB officers for the coming two years. • Adam McQuiston – Vice President, First Montana Bank • Tim Schreiber – Treasurer, Farmers State Bank • Loren Brown – Secretary, First Security Bank of Helena I am also pleased to welcome Clint Gerst of the Bank of Bozeman as a new MIB board member. Our very successful state convention came on the heels of another productive legislative advocacy trip to Washington D.C. for the ICBA federal advocacy summit. Several board members and I traveled to D.C. in late April to meet with Montana’s congressional delegation. During the trip, we advanced ICBA’s overall legislative agenda of tiered regulation and regulatory relief for true community banks. We also heard directly from Senate Banking Chairman Mike Crapo of Idaho, who referred to community bankers as the pillars of the com- munity. Chairman Crapo said that he will continue to direct his efforts to making right-sized regulation a reality. Finally, the FDIC stated it is reviewing the ICBA backed proposal on lowering the 9-percent com- munity bank leverage ratio to 8 percent. The MIB Board also made its way up to Capital Hill to meet with Montana’s congressional delegation. During those visits, the associ- ation told Senators Daines and Tester, and Congressman Gianforte, that credit unions and Farm Credit Services need to be held to their mission and not given an unfair competitive advantage. The associa- tion also discussed the issues of cannabis banking, data security, BSA/ AML modernization and housing finance reform. You can learn more about MIB’s and ICBA’s legislative positions and priorities by visiting the ICBA webpage at the following address: https://www.icba.org/advocacy/industry-issues and/or by visiting the MIB webpage at http://mibonline.org/. On behalf of the board members and officers of the MIB, I want to thank those who attended our state convention. And for those who didn’t, what’s your excuse for not being at the best-run convention in the Treasure State? By not attending, you truly missed out on excellent networking and educational opportunities. Our 2020 convention will be held in the ”magic city,” Billings. Billings is another city that has not hosted the MIB for many years. The convention will be held at the historic northern hotel. The conven- tion dates are July 23rd-25th. Make sure to block those dates off your calendar now. Jim Brown Executive Director MIB