2015 COMMUNITY REPORT Our story. And yours. Our way of life Grounded in the Midwest, we are an employee-owned financial institution with community at the heart of everything we do. We embrace the unique story each customer brings, and work together with them to find the right solution for their individual needs. American offers a young couple the opportunity to buy a home where they can raise a family; protects the family, their home and possessions from life’s uncertanties; and provides them with the peace-of-mind that they’ll be able to retire comfortably. We offer entrepreneurs the chance to take the leap and follow their dreams; business products and services to aid in the day-to-day operations; and financing for expansion and growth in their communities. American supports its employees with a family-first philosophy; cares about the interests and success of each customer; and contributes substantially to the communities it serves, both financially and through volunteer outreach. Our commitment, our creed, and our pledge to the places we live and the people we serve: Right here. Right for you. Letter to our communities We are proud to continue to serve you, and we thank you for your continued trust in us as a core pillar in your community. The American family of companies has a proud history of serving communities in North Dakota and Montana. Our roots trace back to small banks, many in rural markets. These banks were all founded on the principle of supporting the economic growth and well being of their communities. We believe in this, and it continues to this day. We know and understand that our strength, and the strength and vitality of our communities are closely linked. Our commitment to our community is through good times and difficult times. Our brand statement, “Right Here. Right for You.”, is more than just a saying for us. It represents who we are. Our operations are all housed within our communities. The deposits which you entrust to us are reinvested with businesses and individuals in our communites. Our company is owned by our employees and directors, who are engaged in our communities and stand ready to serve you each day. American believes strongly in stewardship. In 2015, we contributed over $870,000 to worthy causes that improve the quality of life for everyone in our communities. We believe that it is a duty and a privilege to be a steward. We also encourage our employees to get engaged in their communities through volunteerism. We believe that this defines who we are. web and mobile offerings in 2016, and are confident that you will appreciate the functionality and practicality of these online services when they are deployed. Despite ever evolving technology, we remain committed to branches as a primary method to deliver financial services, and will be embarking on a multi-year plan to upgrade our branches and your branch experience. 2015 was an exciting year for American. We continued to grow through the opening of our Mandan Branch, which represented a significant investment in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Mandan, and with the acquisition of United Community Bank of North Dakota. We expanded our service offerings in Underwood and McClusky by merging North Country Bank into American Bank Center. We developed new systems and services in Insurance and Trust in order to provide our customers a more complete product offering. American understands that we are in a time of change in our industry. In order to continue to provide you quality service, we must invest in the technology to do so. We made a significant investment in 2015 to prepare for the launching of new Looking forward to 2016, it is clear that our customers and communities may experience more challenging economic times. We have been through this before, and we stand ready to serve you and to assist our customers in navigating through challenging waters. We know and believe in the resilience and character of our fellow North Dakota and Montana citizens, and we trust in our collective ability to make it through any adversity that may come our way. We believe strongly in our bright future beyond this temporary period of challenge. We thank you for making our communities a great place to work and live. We look forward to seeing you and working with you in 2016. David Ehlis President/CEO Our story The American story begins with small, independent banks throughout the Midwest, considered pillars in the communities they served. These community banks now make up American as we know it today, each with their own unique history. American State Bank & Trust This story begins in 1909 with Citizens State Bank of Belfield. In 1930, Citizens Bank took over the deposit liabilities of First State Bank of Fryburg, a small town just west of Dickinson on I-94. Four years later, came a corporate name and headquarters change from Citizens State Bank of Belfield to Citizens State Bank of New England. In 1936, Bank of Killdeer received their charter, and it wasn’t until 1964 when American State Bank of Dickinson received theirs. In 1987, American State Bank obtained a certificate of merger to form American State Bank and Trust, where they officially held offices in Dickinson, New England and Killdeer. Bank Center First Bank Center First began operations as Bismarck State Bank in December of 1977, when a group of local business leaders decided to charter a locally-owned community bank. The newly founded bank operated out of a mobile home until its building was constructed in north Bismarck the following year. The bank announced their name change to Bank Center One in 1991, shortly after moving their headquarters to downtown Bismarck. Two years later, they underwent another name change to Bank Center First. With the continued success of the bank, they were able to expand to four locations within the Bismarck community. American Bank Center was created through a merge between American State Bank and Bank Center First in April of 2009. Scandia Bank Scandia Bank was first chartered in Palermo, ND in 1910. In 1933, the bank moved to Stanley, a community which had been without a bank for quite some time. This may have been the defining moment in the bank’s history, as it was the only bank in the county to survive the Great Depression without closing or merging with another bank. Scandia Bank celebrated their Centennial in 2010, and acquired CountryBank that year, expanding to Cando and Devils Lake. CountryBank continued to do business under that name until they both joined the American family in October of 2011. First Community Bank of Glendive First Community Bank was established only recently, in 1979, by a group of community members. Originally chartered as First Fidelity Bank, the bank was purchased in 1993 and renamed First Community Bank of Glendive the following year. The name change came from a promise to past, current and future customers to always put the community first. In an exciting new chapter in American Bank Center’s history, we expanded to Montana with the purchase of First Community Bank of Glendive in 2013. North Country Bank North Country Bank was formed in 1931 through the merge of Sheridan County State Bank located in Underwood, and First National Bank of McClusky. J.E. Davis became president of the newly erected bank. His interest in banking, however, began years earlier when he offered homesteaders “operating loans” along with two bred cows. At calving time, Davis would acquire one of the calves, to add to his own herd, and the borrower would keep the other to continue the herd. The mere $25,000 in assets in 1907 would grow to $3 million by 1966 and increased to $60 million when North Country Bank merged with American Bank Center in April, 2015. United Community Bank of North Dakota In 1912, Farmers State Bank of Leeds purchased First National Bank of Drake, together becoming United Community Bank. They later established branches in Burlington and Minot. United Community Bank continues to operate under an independent charter, serving Burlington, Drake, Leeds and Minot. Today, the American family of companies employs over 400 individuals within 22 locations and holds $1.66 billion in assets. Despite our exponential growth, we continue to operate as our founding banks did – we are simply a hometown bank with the success of our customers and the communities we serve at the heart of everything we do. Longfellow Elementary Minot, ND This year will mark five years since the devastating flood of 2011. American was proud to support the Minot Area Community Foundation’s Flood Recovery Fund with a $100,000 donation. Today, students enjoy the play structure outside Longfellow Elementary which was constructed with flood fund dollars. Commitment to our communities We hold ourselves to a high standard of involvement in our communities. We illustrate this commitment through financial contributions to community initiatives like the Housing Incentive Fund, which will allow for more affordable low-income and elderly housing developments in places like Dickinson and Minot; or through our involvement in local fundraising events like the St. Gabriel’s Dualathon held in Bismarck every summer. Often times, it is by simply being an active member of the community and participating in the local rodeo or homecoming parade. Our commitment goes beyond dollars and cents. We recognize the value of service and understand our time can be worth more than any monetary sum one could ever give. We encourage our employees to volunteer for projects or causes they are passionate about, through opportunities like Rebuilding Together, local United Way campaigns, or speaking to high school and college students about the importance of good credit and being financially savvy as they encounter real world problems. Through employee involvement, we are able to see the needs of our communities, work to find a solution, and help to bridge that gap. The community of Stanley has seen an increase in population in recent years. With this rise in activity, came an increased need for quality healthcare. Mountrail County Medical Center (MCMC) was in desperate need of an expanded and updated facility. Our $250,000 pledge was put toward a new emergency room and an enclosed ambulance bay. With the new facility, MCMC is able to accommodate more patients than ever before. Abbey Ruland, P.A. Mountrail County Medical Center, Stanley With only one indoor ice rink in Dickinson, ice time became a luxury. Hockey teams divided their time on the ice early in the morning and late into the evening in order to accommodate everyone. Seeing this was not a sustainable plan, American Bank Center pledged $50,000 to the Dickinson Parks and Recreation Department (DPRD) for a much needed expansion. The new West River Ice Center holds two rinks with seating for 1,000, more than tripling the capacity of the old rink. During the off-season, the facility is used to host various events and tradeshows. In addition to the new ice rink in the West River Ice Center, a major renovation to the Dickinson West River Community Center (WRCC) was completed. Due to a drastic increase in membership, coupled with the closing of Whitney Pool, Dickinson’s only outdoor pool, it became obvious additional space and a new swimming facility was necessary. We were happy to pledge an additional $100,000 to the outdoor pool and WRCC expansion project. The state-of-the-art community center now boasts an indoor and outdoor water park, four full-size basketball courts, three group fitness studios, two floors of cardio and strength equipment, a climbing wall and an expanded indoor walking/jogging track. It is because of the support of our loyal customers, that we are able to prosper. We, in turn, do our best to give back, make an impact, and change the lives of our neighbors for the better. A partner in our customer’s lives There is a saying that goes “the only constant thing in life is change”. American has the professional expertise to guide you as you prepare for change, and help you navigate through the unexpected. With our business bankers ready to assist you with your next big endeavor or expansion, our insurance agents here to help you secure your assets, and our trust and investment professionals prepared to help you invest wisely in your future, we are able to be your full-service financial institution of choice. We have everything you need to secure your business under one roof. We want to form a relationship with our customers that will allow us to make a real difference, not only in the success of their business, but in their lives as well. purchase a milling unit. This milling unit allows them to make a crown on-site, cutting wait time down from days to about an hour. Being able to provide this service to their customers means they can make their practice more efficient and their customer’s lives easier. In Minot, Base Utilities was the first to privatize utility services on a military base. Owner, Russ Gohl, has been contracting business with the Air Force Base in Minot for 30 years and recently earned a 50 year contract with To aid in the success of your business, we have an Electronic Banking Department entirely committed to finding the best way to serve you. They work to find the solution which allows you to accept payments virtually any way you’d like. Whether through credit card processing, reoccurring debits and credits, or one-time payments via debit/credit cards and checking and savings accounts. We also have solutions to take the stress out of payroll processing. Being able to simplify your day to day business routine is our objective. We want to take care of you start to finish; day in and day out. At Prairie Rose Family Dentistry, they saw their patients waiting days for their crowns to be made and sent back to the practice, requiring the booking of follow up appointments to have the crown installed. With American Bank Center’s help, they were able to Wayne Martinson Bismarck The Lewton Family Dickinson Dr. Chris Spies, DDS, Dr. Leslie Hollevoet, DDS, Dr. William Quinn, DDS, Dr. Casey Carlson, DDS Prairie Rose Dentistry, Bismarck the base, privatizing water and sewer services. “It might be easier to show you what I haven’t done,” Russ said as he reflects back on all the work he’s completed in the last 30 years. “If people are able to flush their toilets and go to the faucet for some water, it means I’m doing my job,” he says with a smile. Base Utilities uses American Bank Center’s Cash Management to manage loan and deposit accounts, as well as direct deposit for payroll. Russ Gohl Base Utilites, Minot Our customers each come with a unique story and passion for what they do, which drives us to provide world-class service and go above and beyond to ensure they get what they need to accomplish their goals. As a community bank, it is our objective to help each customer succeed, and in turn, to ensure the success of the communties we serve. Christian Kostelecky Sax Motors, Dickinson Our expanding footprint 2015 proved to be an unprecedented year for growth within the American family of companies. location to visit. We’ve also enjoyed the great view of the notable 4th of July parade. Our much-anticipated Mandan branch opened in January of 2015. Crossing the river came with the unique opportunity to be a part of the revitalization of downtown Mandan, through the renovation of the vacant Iverson Building on Main Street. The historic building was built in 1907 and was originally used as a food warehouse. In keeping with the buildings rich history, many original features remain, including exposed brick walls, stately pillars, and a scale once used to weigh cattle before being shipped on the railroad. Soon after the doors in Mandan opened, came the purchase of United Community Bank of North Dakota. With locations in Minot, Burlington, Drake and Leeds, the acquisition leaves American with an impressive footprint in North Dakota and Eastern Montana. We are thrilled to officially be a part of the community and provide our Mandan customers with a convenient We were later welcomed into the communities of Underwood and McClusky with the addition of North Country Bank. The bank was purchased in 2012 and officially merged with American Bank Center in April of 2015. We look forward to continuing the tradition of exceptional service along with the community focus North Country Bank was founded on. Year-end balance sheet - December 31, 2015 - As of Dec-15 (thousands) Total Cash & Due Total Investments Net Loans Fixed Assets Total Other Assets As of Dec-14 (thousands) 30,985 474,287 1,066,433 35,343 53,945 36,437 483,028 723,250 29,231 25,679 Total Assets 1,660,993 1,297,625 Deposits Total Other Liabilities 1,411,275 103,689 1,118,148 78,270 1,514,964 1,196,418 11,500 134,529 11,500 89,707 1,660,993 1,297,625 Total Liabilities Trust Preferred Securities Equity Capital Total Liabilities & Equity Bismarck-Mandan Glendive, MT Downtown 320 N 4th St 401 N 4th St 319 N Merrill Ave North 1101 E Interstate Ave Dan’s Supermarket 1190 W Turnpike Ave Washington Center 325 W Arbor Ave Mandan 101 E Main St Cando 505 4th St Devils Lake 604 College Dr S Dickinson Downtown 140 1st Ave W North 1151 3rd Ave W Killdeer Roundup Mall, 150 Central Ave McClusky 217 Main St Minot 2201 15th St SW New England 6 E 9th St Stanley 15 S Main St Underwood 308 Lincoln Ave Watford City 137 North Main Right here. Right for you. weareamerican.com American Bank Center is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.
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