20 2025 MIB EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Loren Brown, President Ascent Bank, Helena lbrown@ascentbank.com Amber Brown, Vice President Peoples Bank of Deer Lodge abrown@pbdl.net Clinton Gerst, Secretary Bank of Bozeman cgerst@bankofbozeman.com Laura Clark, Treasurer Opportunity Bank lclark@oppbank.com Tim Schreiber, Immediate Past President Farmers State Bank tims@farmersebank.com Kenny Martin, ICBA State Director Independence Bank, Helena kennym@ibyourbank.com 2025 MIB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tom Christnacht First Security Bank of Deer Lodge Bill Coffee Stockman Bank, Miles City Daniel Day Bank of Montana, Missoula Shawn Dutton First Security Bank of Roundup Mike Hawthorne First Montana Bank, Missoula Logan Hensley Valley Bank of Kalispell Brice Kluth First State Bank of Shelby Scott Mizner American Bank, Bozeman Joel Rosenberg Three Rivers Bank of Montana, Kalispell Andrew West Eagle Bank, Polson Phil Willett Pioneer Federal Savings and Loan, Dillon ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBER Ryan Fritz Citizens Alliance Bank rfritz@citizensalliancebank.com MIB STAFF Jim Brown, Esq., Executive Director Montana Independent Bankers jbrown@mibonline.org ©2025 The Montana Independent Bankers Association (MIB) | The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. Community Banker is published four times per year by The newsLINK Group LLC for MIB and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of MIB, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. Community Banker is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of MIB. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. Montana Independent Bankers 1812 11th Ave. PO Box 4893 Helena, MT 59604 (406) 449-7444 jbrown@mibonline.org mibonline.org 16 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 4 True Independent Community Bankers By Loren Brown, President, MIB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 6 Protecting and Prioritizing Your Interests By James Brown, Esq., Executive Director, MIB FLOURISH 8 Your Advocacy Impact By Rebeca Romero Rainey, President and CEO, ICBA FROM THE TOP 9 Translating Advocacy Into Action By Lucas White, ICBA Chairman, President of The Fountain Trust Company 10 Concepts and Facts ChatGPT Gets it Mostly Right on Yield Curve Shapes By Jim Reber, President and CEO, ICBA Securities 12 Montana Independent Bankers 2025 Convention and Trade Show MIB FEATURED ASSOCIATE MEMBER 16 Meet Jennifer Pearson of Prospera By Bill Showalter, Senior Consultant, Young & Associates Inc. 18 Compliance Q&A 20 ICBA LIVE LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS 22 How to Bridge Gaps With Fellow Employees By Lindsay LaNore, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Learning and Experience Officer, ICBA 24 How to Push Back When Your Health Carrier Raises Premiums By Alliant 25 Smarter Vendor Negotiations for a Seamless Core Conversion By ADVANTAGE 26 The Impact and Key Elements of a Compensation Strategy By Kerry Gleason, UBB 28 2025 MIB Membership Directory 28 MIB Associate Member Banks 29 MIB Associate Member Resource Guide 30 MIB Upcoming Events 31 Bank Training Webinars Contents SPRING 2025
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