Commentary
by Tom Bengtson

Ag Update
Double-dip recession is avoidable, experts agree, but regulatory environment to remain challenging and conditions in the agricultural sector may begin to cool

News Roundup
Illinois bank honored for raising money for charity; Minnesota bank remembers U.S. service members with signed cards; North Dakota bank promotes entrepreneurship, and South Dakota banks team to promote tech education.

Interview
Leaders in the community banking industry see signs of improvement; say distinctions from large banks greater than ever.

CFPB Journal
Management provides insight into the workings of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Leadership
Knowing how hard it is to recruit urban college graduates to rural areas, United Prairie Bank is training its own future leaders.

Insight
The Minnesota Council on Economic Education, a group that equips educators to teach economics, celebrates its 50th anniversary with some help from the Federal Reserve Bank.

Profile
The matriarch of Nebraska's banking industry has started a micro-loan fund which could help hundreds of small business owners.


Statistical Snapshot


Note: The above article links are in PDF format.