Pub. 6 2011-2012 Issue 2

July/August 2011 7 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. 233 South 13th Street, Suite 700 Lincoln, NE 68508 Phone: (402) 474-1555 • Fax: (402) 474-2946 NBA Board of Directors NBA Staff George Beattie NBA President & CEO george.beattie@nebankers.org Joni Sundquist Vice President of Communications joni.sundquist@nebankers.org Kendell G. Holthus NBA Chairman (2011-2012) (402) 363-7414 Cornerstone Bank, York Clark D. Lehr NBA Chairman-Elect (2011-2012) (402) 563-3656 First Nebraska Bank, Columbus 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 David P. Dannehl (308) 876-2451 First State Bank of Loomis, Loomis Curt Denker (402) 434-3115 Pinnacle Bank, Lincoln Donovan H. Ellis (402) 396-3431 Midwest Bank, N.A., Pilger Alan L. Fosler (402) 323-1272 Union Bank & Trust Co., Lincoln Stephen J. Hatz (402) 918-1567 Bank of the West, Omaha Michael J. Homa (402) 351-4248 Mutual of Omaha Bank, Omaha Allan D. Jefferson (402) 362-4411 York State Bank & Trust Co., York Jeffrey C. Johnson (402) 562-2108 Columbus Bank & Trust Co., Columbus Philip Jossi (308) 893-2351 State Bank of Riverdale, Riverdale Timothy E. Keller (402) 375-2043 F&M Bank, Wayne John F. Kotouc (402) 399-5088 American National Bank, Omaha Vicki L. Kraai (402) 773-5541 Astra Bank, Sutton Clarence L. Landen III (402) 449-0919 Security National Bank of Omaha, Omaha Brian Lierman (402) 475-0521 Great Western Bank, Lincoln Barry J. Lockard (402) 434-2225 Cornhusker Bank, Lincoln Scott J. Meister (402) 941-8603 Pinnacle Bank, Fremont Ken H. Niedan (308) 368-5555 Hershey State Bank, Hershey David A. Ochsner (402) 476-1131 Nebraska Bankers’ Bank, Lincoln Ryne D. Seama n (402) 643-3636 The Cattle National Bank & Trust, Seward John P. Stinner (308) 436-2300 Valley Bank & Trust Co., Gering James H. Varne y (877) 860-2266 Custer Federal Savings & Loan, Broken Bow Michael B. Jacobson NBA Past Chairman (308) 534-2861 NebraskaLand National Bank, North Platte Larry D. Marik NBA Past Chairman (402) 562-5846 First National Bank of Columbus, Columbus Nebraska’s Growing Optimism George Beattie, President & CEO, Nebraska Bankers Association S INCE EARLY MAY, NBA CHAIRMAN KENDELL HOLTHUS, NBA Chairman-Elect Clark Lehr, NBISCO Execu- tive Vice President SteveMcKelvey, and I have been calling on bankers all around our great state. The consensus is that Nebraska is one of the best places for busi- ness and banking in today’s environment. The positive effect of agriculture was evident everywhere we traveled within the state—from the bordering states of Kansas to South Dakota and from Iowa, and the all-too-mighty Missouri River, to Colorado and Wyoming. While banks report the need for loans, the general outlook was very positive. On the flipside, there is concern about the ever-growing problem of regulatory burden and infringement on bankers’ ability to generate fee income. Banker after banker expressed frustrationwith the need to dedicatemore time to compliance issues while losing sources of revenue—a double-whammy challenge to maintaining the bottom line. In addition, the uncertainty of what is yet to come in the form of regulation weighs on the minds of many. The good news in all of this is the resiliency of bankers across the state. While frustration exists, our bankers are busy planning for the future and seeking solutions to meet these challenges. Many are talking about growth and expan- sion while others are in the midst of remodeling existing locations. These banks and bankers reflect the growing optimismof the communities they serve and, while everyone is cautious, the future looks bright for Nebraska bankers. Z PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ReachGeorge Beattie at (402) 474-1555 or george.beattie@nebankers.org .