were delayed until May. Te merger, originally slated for closing in September, was finalized in mid-November. For, Laune the entire process was interesting because most meetings, including those with the banks’ lawyers, were conducted virtually, and no one was present at the November closing.


With the merger, Peoples Savings Bank has 100 employees. Laune notes the call center helped significantly to answer customers’ questions. Te bank’s newest employees from the merger did a great job with adjusting to new operations and training.


What changes do you foresee moving forward? More bankers will work remotely for good. Laune points out that “we’re one flu outbreak from the entire staff getting sick.” Banks also will adopt digital tech hours that differ from lobby hours to assist customers with the bank’s digital services.


What will bankers remember 10 years from now? Te Great Flood of 1993 is still fresh in residents’ minds; bank employees working at that time remember 8' of water in the bank. A pandemic was not part of the


bank’s disaster recovery plan, but the tabletop exercises all go through various situations to achieve the same results — keep the business going and keep customers and employees safe. And, we leaned on one another because “one person can’t do it all.”


What lessons would you share with future leaders? Always learn to be ready for whatever may happen — no one dreamed a pandemic would happen. Conduct tabletop exercises for business continuity plans and include the real-life situations from 2020. Communicate and “keep staff in the loop” so they know the direction you are going.


Jill Niece President/ CEO, Independent Farmers Bank, Maysville


How did


COVID-19 affect the bank? In describing the close- knit but diverse Maysville, Niece said community and business leaders were able to work together to protect the community during the pandemic. Independent Farmers Bank erred on the side of caution to protect its


employees and customers. Te staff of 31 worked from home and rotated shiſts at the bank, which closed the lobby and conducted business through the drive-thru.


Te area was slow to have positive COVID-19 cases, and the lobby reopened when essential services were approved to reopen for business. Te bank asked customers to continue using the drive-thru and planned for different options inside the bank, including a limit on the number of individuals inside the bank, the use of face masks, plexiglass to protect individuals and barriers for maintaining 6' of social distance.


What challenges did you


overcome? Because more customers used electronic banking, there was an influx with mobile deposits and mobile banking.


Tis resulted in more customer training because some had not previously used these offerings. Tere also was a learning curve among employees because they helped in areas new to them or that methods had changed from previous operations. Teir resiliency benefited our customers.


Te unexpected tragic death of our sheriff during the summer affected our entire community. An employee suggested the bank bring in a counselor for staff. Te bank paid for a counselor to be at the bank for three weeks, and employees could confidentially speak with the counselor. Our employees appreciated this support, telling us it was nice to talk with someone about everything that was happening.


What lessons did you learn? Te bank had a pandemic plan in place because of the bird flu outbreak in the mid-2010s. We went through that plan with a fine-tooth comb and developed new procedures. You don’t think of these types of scenarios, but you need procedures in your plans because these scenarios could easily happen.


What changes do you foresee moving forward? Because of the pandemic, bankers know a lot of work can be done remotely. Most customers still prefer to conduct their banking in person, but Niece acknowledges there is a cost efficiency with working from home. In terms of bank exams, questions arise if future exams can


THE MISSOURI BANKER 17


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