June 16, 2022

The mortgage market is already off to a volatile start in 2022 with Treasury yields soaring, spreads widening, and mortgage rates breaching 4%. The Federal Reserve has made clear that it will focus on a robust monetary tightening campaign to combat high inflation by ending mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchases and likely shifting the reinvestment of mortgage paydowns from MBS to Treasuries. This comes on the heels of record home price appreciation (HPA) and expectations for prices to continue rising at a modest pace, increasing loan sizes.

CSB&T In Ellsworth Announces Promotions of Muchow and Frazier Megan Muchow, who joined Citizens State Bank and Trust Co. in 2007, has been promoted to vice president/cashier. The advancement follows the recent retirement of long- time cashier and vice president, Diane Buchholz. The Board of Directors of CSB&T approved Muchow’s promotion at its March meeting.

Where has the time gone? Unbelievably, the industry is six short months away from adopting CECL. Thankfully, the six years since CECL was announced have been quiet, relatively straightforward years allowing you and your bank time to prepare.

Digital products and online platforms have reconfigured commercial banking in the 21st century. Market penetration for these services and products continues to rise, and it is expected that the users of digital banking will eclipse 80% of the population in the U.S. by 2025. These changes represent a massive, irreversible disruption in the way commercial banking is done, opening up new business models and placing pressure on industry incumbents.

The 43rd Annual MOKAN Trust & Financial Services Conference was held May 11-13, 2022, at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel & Convention Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Over 250 folks attended! A sincere thank you to the attendees, sponsors, and speakers for making this event so successful.

The rising costs of consumer goods and a tight labor market are leading to increased wage pressure for Kansas banks.

If you or your bank is interested in joining the YBOK Division, please reach out to Alex Orel or Bree Magee at the KBA.

Just five months into Compliance First Banking Solutions’ launch of its outsourced compliance services, CFBS welcomes its newest member of the team and second Compliance Operations Specialist, Nathan Stumme. Joining the KBA from Houston, Texas, Nathan has worked in the financial services industry for six years, serving as a consumer loan processor and vendor management specialist before most recently working as an internal auditor. Prior to working in financial institutions, Nathan studied computer science at Wartburg College in northeast Iowa and worked in technical support for small businesses.

The Kansas Bankers Association (KBA) is pleased to announce the recipients of thirteen scholarships awarded by the Kansas Bankers Educational Foundation (KBEF), a 501(c) 3 corporation created and operated by the KBA. Four scholarships were awarded to children of Kansas bankers, two scholarships were given to students with banker references, and seven scholarships were awarded to students who are currently enrolled in one of two Kansas colleges/universities who offer banking-specific degrees and/or concentrations.