County Bancorp is a small dairy lender in Wisconsin with an exposure to milk prices, and Bank OZK is a larger bank in Arkansas coping with out-of-market real estate trends. Their stories show how market sensitivities can vex specialists.
A Wisconsin credit union's agreement to acquire a small Chicago bank, the eighth credit union-bank deal this year, led bankers to once again call for policymakers to slow the trend. A credit union trade group complained that banks are trying to stifle competition.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a "narrow interpretation" of a state-level consumer-protection law that maintains lenders' rights to collect debts without fear of being sued for damages.
Urfer co-founded a business with the banking automation pioneer John Diebold, worked for Chase Manhattan and other major banks, and played an important role in the Nixon administration, phasing out exchange controls.
The small Wisconsin city features a vibrant economy, low employment and a growing population, but banks that want to buy their way into the market have their work cut out.
