Happy February, community bankers! I hope you are surviving this year’s North Dakota winter. You will see in this edition of our newsletter that ICBND is proudly promoting the launch of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB), a collaboration with FedFis, a fintech providing data transformation for financial institutions, and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). The new program is supported by community banking associations nationwide. And best of all, it is available free to all ICBND member bankers!

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I hope this message finds you recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s truly my favorite holiday involving good food, family, friends, and football. My favorite part was spending time with my two grandsons as we enjoyed the mild temperatures and sunshine that still prevail in this early winter.

As I look back on 2021, I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to represent you all and the interests of community banking in North Dakota and nationally. And I’m proud of our accomplishments this past year with the 67^th Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature which convened on January 5 and adjourned on April 29. In addition to the Regular Session, Governor Burgum called a Special Session of the Legislature that was conducted the week of November 8 adjourning on Friday, November 12.

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I hope this message finds you doing well and enjoying our gorgeous fall weather. While the days have been very pleasant, I don’t think any of us would mind some “rain” days. Drought has taken a heavy toll on our ag producers this year, especially our livestock producers who are scrounging hay and feed to get through the winter. I feel for them during this challenging time.

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I hope this message finds you doing well and finding some ways to stay cool during what seems to be an excessively hot and dry summer. Say a prayer for our ag producers especially those scrambling right now to find hay and forage for their livestock. It’s difficult to watch the countryside wilt.   

It’s hard to believe August is already here. Of course, that means your ICBND Convention Committee and staff are in the home stretch of preparation for our 53rd annual convention. We’re excited to be back in convention-mode after the doldrums of pandemic-ridden 2020. I hope you’re planning to attend the convention as it’s still not too late to register! I promise it will be fun and informative. As I’ve reported before, the format for the convention will be a bit different this year with a Monday through Wednesday schedule. And don’t forget to participate in Monday evening’s western theme party and PAC fundraiser which is sure to be entertaining.

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The 67^th Legislative Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature wrapped up in the very early morning hours of Friday, April 27 which marked the 76^th day of the session saving four days during the interim if there’s a need to reconvene. While we didn’t get everything we wanted from this session, independent community banking fared well and we will work hard in the interim voicing our advocacy message. I won’t belabor this message with details from the session as you’re probably just starting to recover from my weekly legislative updates the first four months of the year!

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