As part of the SDBA’s mission to grow South Dakota’s future bank leaders, we feature a monthly emerging leader. This month’s feature is on Andy Hubbart from BankWest in Pierre.

Neighbors helping neighbors is one of the reasons small town South Dakota is such a great place to live. The May 12 derecho swept through the eastern portion of the state and left an overwhelming amount of destruction in its path. Salem was one of the hardest hit communities that day.

The 2022 National School for Beginning Ag Bankers was held on the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish on June 20-23, 2022.

The SDBA/NDBA annual convention went out with a bang as Clint Pulver pulled everyone out of their seats to become part of an interactive drumline.

More than 250 individuals from South Dakota and North Dakota and their business partners came together and celebrated all that was accomplished this past year at the 2022 SDBA/NDBA Annual Convention on June 13-15 in Bismarck, N.D. The theme of this year’s event was “Onward!”

The SDBA held their Annual Business Meeting as a breakfast on June 15 in Bismarck, N.D.

SDBA membership elected officers for 2022-2023 during the SDBA’s Annual Business Meeting on June 15th in Bismarck, N.D. The SDBA’s new officers are:

Josh Horak, Bank President of First Interstate Bank in Sturgis, S.D., recently joined the SDBA Board as the Emerging Leader liaison.

The SD Bankers Foundation welcomes new board member, Jody Bender. Jody was raised in Mobridge, S.D. and attended SDSU, earning a bachelor’s in Commercial Economics.

As part of the SDBA’s mission to grow South Dakota’s future bank leaders, we feature a monthly emerging leader. This month’s feature is on Marlyn Benavente from Dacotah Bank in Rapid City.

It was the afternoon of Thursday, May 12th, and much of eastern South Dakota braced for an evening of rough and dangerous weather. It was the kind of weather that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Before long, social media feeds quickly filled with images of massive storm heads or “cloud walls” that looked as ominous as they sounded. We later learned from the National Weather Service (NWS) that the so-called “cloud wall” had a name: derecho. South Dakotans along the I-29 corridor will not soon forget it, either. Before long, the day’s cautions lead to warnings and storm sirens that bellowed across the town of Castlewood, South Dakota.

EF2 tornado in Castlewood

The SDBA is currently accepting photo submissions for its 2023 Scenes of South Dakota Calendar. The calendar features photos of South Dakota submitted by South Dakota bankers, their family members and customers.

Agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks increased 5.5% in 2021 to $99.6 billion, according to the American Bankers Association’s Farm Bank Performance Report. The change is based on a 7.5% increase in outstanding loans secured by farmland and a 2.9% increase in agricultural production loans.

The annual report examines the performance of the 1,553 banks specializing in agricultural lending. In 2021, farm banks provided access to Paycheck Protection Program funds, originating 538,154 PPP loans worth $14.6 billion, distributed by more than 7,500 branches in rural America. Farm banks continue to be a major source of credit to small farmers, holding more than $43.8 billion in small farm loans ($500,000 or less), including $9.9 billion in micro farm loans ($100,000 or less) at the end of 2021.

Summer is a popular time to travel whether it be for a relaxing overnight trip or a week away exploring a new destination. You are likely taking along that smartphone or other device to assist with getting directions, locating or identifying points of interest, and capturing that special photo. Practicing good cyber hygiene before, during, and after your trip will help secure your devices and allow you to connect with confidence when you’re away from home.

Quick note if you are traveling with business equipment: It’s best that you leave your work devices behind; however, if you can’t leave home without them, ensure that you are following your organization’s policies and procedures for protecting the devices and the information they contain while traveling.

The Division is providing this guidance to assist bank management with defining remote work conditions and corresponding security protocols. South Dakota bank staff may conduct banking activities provided the remote work location is physically located in South Dakota and adequate security protocols are implemented. With respect to remote work in other states, it is permitted to the extent it follows this guidance and allowed by the host state regulatory authority. Banks that allow remote work by their employees must draft and implement comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure remote work is conducted in a secure and professional manner. A comprehensive remote work program should implement, at minimum, the following requirements and limitations:

confidentiality.

As banks look to earn the business, trust and loyalty of more people, bank executives should consider ways to differentiate from the increasingly crowded market of banks, financial institutions and fintech providers. Enhancing customer service options are important ways to stand out from competitors while truly serving clients.

According to a previous Microsoft State of Global Customer Service Report, nearly 70 percent of respondents favorably view brands that engage in proactive customer service. Customer service, which can be hard to come by for other financial entities, can be a cornerstone of bankers’ sales and marketing plans.

How many of these are present in your organization?  

1.No cybersecurity training for employees

While uncertainty surrounds the U.S. economy at present, America’s banks remain healthy and prepared to support the communities they serve, said American Bankers Association President and CEO Rob Nichols today during an online forum discussing recent economic conditions and longer-term outcomes.

“It’s a challenging moment for the U.S. economy, with inflation running at its highest level in a generation, hitting every American in their wallet. We continue to suffer supply disruptions due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Nichols said, adding that the Federal Reserve has been working to slow demand by raising interest rates and plans to do so until inflation is under control.

As lawmakers attempt to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the America Competes Act, the Conference for State Bank Supervisors today advocated for the SAFE Banking Act to be included in the final version of the bill. The ABA-backed provision—which would enable banks to serve legitimate cannabis businesses in states where it is legal—was included in the House version of the Competes Act.

CSBS noted that allowing cannabis businesses to access banking services would help reduce risk, increase public safety and facilitate tax collection, among other things. “By granting a safe harbor for financial institutions, Congress can bring regulatory clarity to the financial services industry, address public safety concerns and ensure access to financial services for state-compliant marijuana and marijuana-related businesses,” said CSBS Acting President and CEO James Cooper.