Pub. 10 2015-2016 Issue 1

May/June 2015 7 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Celebrating 125 Years of Service to Bankers in Nebraska 233 South 13th Street, Suite 700 Lincoln, NE 68508 Phone: (402) 474-1555 • Fax: (402) 474-2946 NBA Board of Directors NBA Editorial Staff Richard J. Baier Joni Sundquist NBA President & CEO Senior Vice President of Communications richard.baier@nebankers.org joni.sundquist@nebankers.org  President’s Message — continued on page 11 Richard J. Baier, President & CEO, Nebraska Bankers Association Michael Pate NBA Chairman (402) 916-1401 United Republic Bank Omaha Jerry A. Catlett NBA Chairman-Elect (402) 353-2555 Bruning State Bank Bruning Robert A. Balfany (402) 434-1035 U.S. Bank, N.A. Lincoln Nicholas W. Baxter (402) 602-1839 First National Bank of Omaha Omaha Cory A. Bergt (402) 434-4122 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Lincoln Alan L. Fosler (402) 323-1272 Union Bank & Trust Co. Lincoln Karl W. Gramann (402) 988-2255 Adams State Bank Adams Kristie K. Holoch (402) 363-7431 Cornerstone Bank York Michael J. Homa (402) 351-4248 Mutual of Omaha Bank Omaha Chris Hove (402) 420-8344 Nebraska Bank of Commerce Lincoln Dale L. Johnson (308) 452-3225 Town & Country Bank Ravenna Susan K. Koranda (402) 256-3247 Security Bank Laurel John F. Kotouc (402) 399-5088 American National Bank Omaha Kevin J. Larson (402) 372-5147 CharterWest National Bank West Point Brian D. Lierman (308) 217-1382 Great Western Bank Lexington Larry E. McPhillips (402) 367-4334 Bank of the Valley Bellwood Donald E. Moore (308) 345-4994 First Central Bank McCook McCook Debbie R. Newkirk (402) 449-0902 Security National Bank of Omaha Omaha Ken H. Niedan (308) 368-5555 Hershey State Bank Hershey Anthony Rappa (402) 918-5442 Bank of the West Omaha Kimberly A. Schroll (308) 534-2861 NebraskaLand National Bank North Platte Jason R. Smith (402) 372-5331 F&M Bank West Point John C. Wilkins (402) 759-8126 Heartland Bank Geneva Lydell L. Woodbury (402) 439-2168 First Nebraska Bank Stanton Craig G. Brewster NBA Past Chairman (402) 775-2271 Butte State Bank Butte M AY 1 BROUGHT THE BEGINNING OF OUR NEW NBA fiscal year and the start of my first full year as president and CEO of this great association. I would be remiss if I did not thank NBA Past Chairman Craig Brewster of Butte State Bank in Butte for his leadership of the NBA during our year of transition and for his professional guidance and personal friendship. My wife Amanda and I have truly cherished the opportunity to get to know Craig and Tammy and their family. Congratulations to Mike Pate of United Republic Bank in Omaha for being elected chairman and to Jerry Catlett of Bruning State Bank in Bruning on his election as chairman- elect during the recent Annual Convention. These gentlemen have already hit the ground running, meeting with members and evaluating ways to help improve the environment for our member institutions. The recently completed Annual Convention served as the of- ficial kick-off celebration for the NBA’s 125th anniversary. The first session of the territorial legislature convened in January 1855 and a number of bills were introduced for incorporating banks. Despite heavy opposition to the chartering of banks, the bank craze was on and the following charters were approved later that year (12 years before Nebraska became a state!): Bank of Florence; Bank of Nebraska at Omaha, Nemaha Valley Bank at Brownville; Platte Valley Bank at Nebraska City; and Bank of Fontenelle at Bellevue. The first nationally chartered bank west of the Missouri River and one of the first national banks in the nation was First National Bank of Omaha, which opened for business in 1864—shortly after passage of the National Bank Act in February 1863. In September 1889, 47 Nebraska bankers attended the American Bankers Association Convention in Kansas City. Pictured from left to right are: NBA Chairman-Elect Jerry Catlett, Bruning State Bank, Bruning; NBA Chairman Mike Pate, United Republic Bank, Omaha; NBA Past Chairman Craig Brewster, Butte State Bank, Butte; and NBA President & CEO Richard Baier, Lincoln.