(left to right)
Mark Jorgenson, US Bank
Kevin Cook, BKD LLP

Ernie Goss, Creighton University
Marc Maun, Bank of Kansas City

Chuck Morris, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Jim Sangster, UMB Bank

Paul Thompson, Country Club Bank & Trust

Bob Monroe, Stinson Morrison Hecker (Sponsor, Host and Chair)

Paul Holewinski, Dickinson Financial Corp.

Tom Metzger, Bank Midwest

Henry Heimsoth, Great Southern Bank

Joe Sweeney, Ingram's Magazine

Jeff Carson, INTRUST Bank

Greg Bynum, First Community Bank

Bruce Easterly, Bank of Blue Valley

Area Banks Find Their Way Through the Uncertainty

On a clear day in early January, a score of the area’s leading banking executives met high atop the Downtown Kansas City headquarters of Stinson Morrison Hecker, the sponsor of this year’s Banking Industry Outlook, the 12th in our annual series.

As would become clear, the past year was a profitable one for most banks, but it was a troubling one in ways that Main Street bankers had no reason to anticipate—namely, media attempts to scapegoat banks and bankers for the nation’s economic woes.

“I think our industry is sort of under attack,” said Bruce Easterly, chief lending officer of Bank of Blue Valley, “if you look at what the media think of us, and Obama calling us fat cats.”

Bob Monroe, chairman of Stinson’s Financial Services Division, led those assembled in a lively discussion of this issue and other of the more pressing issues facing the banking community.