Missouri Bankers Association 2009 Annual Convention

Missouri banks look "reasonable good," according to Missouri Commissioner of Finance Rich Weaver at the MBA's convention. Sitting on a regulatory discussion panel, Weaver said only 31 banks have lost money out of 284 banks in Missouri. He also said 89 banks have a 1 CAMELS rating, 144 have a 2 rating, 36 a 3 rating, 10 a 4 rating and only 5 banks have a 5 CAMELS rating. View this photo gallery to see pictures of the panel and many other speakers at the convention.

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Nebraska Bankers Association 2009 Annual Convention

“Refreshingly optimistic” aptly describes the atmospheres at the annual convention of the Nebraska Bankers Association last month. The attendance in Lincoln was similar to last year and, all in all, Nebraska bankers seem to be doing fairly well compared to bankers in other states. Most bankers seemed to agree that they are doing so well because of agriculture, which hasn’t suffered during this recession. That and the fact that the state has fewer big cities than neighboring states, such as Kansas and Iowa, which have more banking troubles. The lack of big cities meant less opportunity to get into commercial real estate, according to NBA officers. View photos from the convention.

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Texas Bankers Association 125th Annual Convention & Exposition

Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, told attendees at the Texas Bankers Association's 2009 convention that he envisions a slow recovery for the economy. Fisher sees a "very slow slog as we find a more sensible and sustainable mix between consumption and savings and investment." Fisher also addresssed the issue of whether the Federal Reserve will be politicized as regulatory reform takes shape. To see pictures of Fisher and others at the conference, view this photo gallery. 

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2009 ABA National Conference for Community Bankers

It began with this sober assessment by American Bankers Association President and CEO Ed Yingling: "We are all engaged in the determining fight for the future of the banking industry." Then Yingling sounded a battle cry that could have served as a theme for the rest of the conference. "There are tremendous misunderstandings about what's going on," he said, and there is a four-part message bankers must help get across to Congress, the media and their communities: There is as big difference between the bankers at the conference and Wall Street; banks are making loans and lending actually was up in 2008; the entire banking industry is not bankrupt; and all banks are not being bailed out. View this photo gallery.

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Missouri Bankers Association Executive Management Conference

A liquidity assistance program was announced at the Missouri Bankers Association’s Executive Management Conference in Kansas City last month. Also at the conference, Thomas M. Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pointed out that uncertainty and confusion about goals of the Troubled Asset Relief Program have limited its effectiveness. “It didn’t stimulate the economy,” he acknowledged, and it still has to work its way through the system, which he believes it will. View photo gallery.

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American Bankers Association National Agricultural Bankers Conference

Eye-opening predictions about agricultural banking in the year 2025 flowed from a set of panelists at the American Bankers Association’s National Agricultural Bankers Conference in Des Moines. The 500 or so bankers and vendors who were registered for the conference Nov. 16–19 — with 20-plus from Canada and two from Australia among them — went home with much to ponder.

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Nebraska Independent Community Bankers Management Conference

This year's Nebraska Independent Community Bankers Management Conference & Trade Show was held Nov. 6–7 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln. Hot topics included the economy, the Temporary Asset Liquidity Program and wealth management. On Thursday evening, attendees were treated to a trade show reception and then a theme party at the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, sponsored by ICBA Services Network. View photo gallery. 

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Missouri Independent Bankers Association Annual Convention

An optimist was hard to find among speakers at the Missouri Independent Bankers Association's 31st Annual Convention & Exhibition, held Sept. 9-11 at the Lodge of Four Seasons, Lake Ozark, Mo. Missouri and the nation are near recession, the MIBA members were told. View photo gallery. 

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Kansas Bankers Association Management Forum and Annual Meeting

Strategic planning and the current economy were among the more serious subjects on the program for the KBA's meeting at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. For comic relief — or at least a change of pace — there was a dose of presidential campaign politics. View photo gallery.

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Community Bankers Association of Kansas

A tough defense of the relatively robust health of community banks in the face of dire predictions in the media of widespread failures was waged by Independent Community Bankers of America President and CEO Cam Fine at the annual convention of the Community Bankers Association of Kansas last month. View this photo gallery.

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Oregon Bankers Association Annual Convention

"Going the distance" is an essential component of an athlete's creed. Bankers may not think in terms of going the distance, but the Oregon Bankers Association gave new relevance to the phrase at its convention, held June 22-24 in Gleneden Beach. From the opening video featuring OBA Chairman Richard E. Brown "running" to the convention from his Portland office, to the final speaker, Boston Globe columnist Penelope Trunk, the convention's theme gained an increasing sense of relevance. View photo gallery. 

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Arizona Bankers Association Annual Convention

While there wasn’t a specific theme to the 105th Arizona Bankers Association Annual Convention and Meeting, held June 22–24 at the Estancia La Jolla, there was a common thread throughout the convention: Bankers face some tough challenges. But none are insurmountable.  View photo gallery.

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Six-State Annual Convention

Six state banking associations held their annual conventions together June 9-11 at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The state associations that participated are Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. View this photo gallery.

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Parkersburg, Iowa, Tornado

The EF5 tornado that hit Parkersburg, Iowa, Memorial Day weekend flattened about 300 homes, tore apart city hall and several local businesses, and ripped off the roof of the high school. First State Bank suffered a near fatal blow with the building partially collapsing. Iowa State Bank, a half-mile away, lost part of its roof and its windows, but it remained structurally sound. View this photo gallery.