Starion Bank

 

  Starion Bank mortgage banker named to three prestigious Top Originator lists

Starion Bank Mortgage Banking Supervisor Kassy Landis has been named to three distinguished lists of America’s top mortgage bankers. The Scotsman Guide named Landis in their Top Originators of 2021 and Top Women Originators of 2021 lists. Mortgage Executive Magazine named Landis as one of the Top 1% of Mortgage Originators of 2021. 

Kassy Landis 2018 crop   Picture: Kassy Landis 

Landis, who is based in Bismarck, has been a mortgage banking officer since 2012. She joined Starion in 2006 as a Universal Banker, advanced to Business Banking Representative in 2007, and became a mortgage underwriter in 2008.

Her area of expertise is residential mortgage lending, including conventional loans, NDHFA First Time Home Buyer programs, FHA, VA, Construction, Lot, Bridge, Home Equity and jumbo loans, allowing Landis to help home buyers determine the financing that best fits their needs.  

Landis earned an associate degree from Bismarck State College and a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson State University, both in business administration. She served as a member of 2021-2022 City of Bismarck Special Assessments Task Force volunteer and currently serves as a member of Bismarck-Mandan Professional Women in Building, and as an affiliate member of both the Bismarck-Mandan HBA and Bismarck-Mandan Board of Realtors.

Scotsman Guide previously recognized Landis as one of the Top Women Originators and Top Originators in 2020. She was also recognized by Mortgage Executive Magazine in their Top 1% of Mortgage Originators for 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020.

The Scotsman Guide is a source of news and research to keep mortgage professionals informed about important trends and topics in the industry. They provide finance tools, industry news, market data and research to help mortgage originators grow their networks.

Mortgage Executive Magazine annually compiles a comprehensive list of the nation’s top one percent of mortgage originators in the United States in order to recognize and celebrate their service, dedication and hard work it takes to serve clients during the home loan process.

About Starion Bank

Starion Bank is a $1.7 billion family-owned community bank and financial services organization. Established in Oakes, N.D., in 1969, Starion has 16 locations in Bismarck-Mandan, Bottineau, Dunseith, Ellendale, Fargo, Oakes and Rolla, N.D.: and Middleton, Monona and Sun Prairie, Wis.

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Happy February, community bankers! I hope you are surviving this year’s North Dakota winter. You will see in this edition of our newsletter that ICBND is proudly promoting the launch of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB), a collaboration with FedFis, a fintech providing data transformation for financial institutions, and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). The new program is supported by community banking associations nationwide. And best of all, it is available free to all ICBND member bankers!

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I hope this message finds you recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s truly my favorite holiday involving good food, family, friends, and football. My favorite part was spending time with my two grandsons as we enjoyed the mild temperatures and sunshine that still prevail in this early winter.

As I look back on 2021, I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to represent you all and the interests of community banking in North Dakota and nationally. And I’m proud of our accomplishments this past year with the 67th Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature which convened on January 5 and adjourned on April 29. In addition to the Regular Session, Governor Burgum called a Special Session of the Legislature that was conducted the week of November 8 adjourning on Friday, November 12.

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I hope this message finds you doing well and enjoying our gorgeous fall weather. While the days have been very pleasant, I don’t think any of us would mind some “rain” days. Drought has taken a heavy toll on our ag producers this year, especially our livestock producers who are scrounging hay and feed to get through the winter. I feel for them during this challenging time.

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I hope this message finds you doing well and finding some ways to stay cool during what seems to be an excessively hot and dry summer. Say a prayer for our ag producers especially those scrambling right now to find hay and forage for their livestock. It’s difficult to watch the countryside wilt.   

It’s hard to believe August is already here. Of course, that means your ICBND Convention Committee and staff are in the home stretch of preparation for our 53rd annual convention. We’re excited to be back in convention-mode after the doldrums of pandemic-ridden 2020. I hope you’re planning to attend the convention as it’s still not too late to register! I promise it will be fun and informative. As I’ve reported before, the format for the convention will be a bit different this year with a Monday through Wednesday schedule. And don’t forget to participate in Monday evening’s western theme party and PAC fundraiser which is sure to be entertaining.

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The 67th Legislative Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature wrapped up in the very early morning hours of Friday, April 27 which marked the 76th day of the session saving four days during the interim if there’s a need to reconvene. While we didn’t get everything we wanted from this session, independent community banking fared well and we will work hard in the interim voicing our advocacy message. I won’t belabor this message with details from the session as you’re probably just starting to recover from my weekly legislative updates the first four months of the year!

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Happy April everyone! We’ve had some early glimpses of spring after a very mild winter, but now we need some of those April showers for the May flowers. I’ve had numerous discussions with member bank ag lenders over the past several weeks. There are some pretty consistent themes across the state. First, most producers are better off right now than they were a year ago. And second, while it varies slightly, it’s too dry everywhere. Hopefully, Mother Nature provides some relief on the latter point.

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Happy 2021 everyone! I know this is going to be a great year and I hope it’s starting off that way for you and yours. Things in life are often relative and compared to a baseline. If 2020 is our baseline for evaluating 2021, then hallelujah! I like our chances for improvement. Covid cases are down and we’re seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with respect to this dastardly pandemic. I also know that 2021 will have its challenges, I just hope they aren’t the same challenges that we’ve faced the past almost year now.

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Politics, elections and pandemics, oh my! That’s kind of my take on the past several months and a less than articulate comparative reference to Dorothy’s infamous “lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my” quote from the Wizard of Oz. But just as those beasts struck fear in the hearts of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow as they skipped through the forest in that iconic 1939 film, today’s unknowns of a yet-to-be resolved pandemic, a new administration and an unknown US Senate makeup (the Georgia runoffs are at least one reminder that the election isn’t really over) have left us modern day citizens a bit skittish about what’s ahead of us.

While it might not be a great career move for someone whose job it is to advocate for a tremendous community banking organization, I promised myself I wasn’t going to drone on about politics, the recent election and certainly not the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in this message. We’ve all had enough. I know I’ve had enough. A wise friend of mine asked me a few days ago if I could recall having recent conversations that didn’t involve politics or the pandemic. I couldn’t except for Stacey telling me that the dogs were tangled around the tree again. But I don’t think those count as “conversations” so I excluded them for the purposes of the exercise at hand.

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As I write this, it occurred to me that today is the first day of fall. Other than the leaves changing color, one might think it’s just another beautiful summer day as the temperature approaches 90 degrees in Bismarck. While 2020 has kind of been the year to forget, our summer weather was really quite delightful for the most part.

While our weather was pleasant, I can’t say it’s been a pleasant summer of clarity and direction for our bank members relative to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgiveness process. Community banks across the country including North Dakota stepped up to efficiently process PPP loans and distribute those much-needed funds to our business and ag customers. You accomplished what the federal government couldn’t. And now, in my opinion, you’ve sort of been left holding the bag. Even the General Accounting Office (GAO) recognized this in their report issued this week. As they reported, the complexity and lack of guidance surrounding PPP loan forgiveness could limit the effectiveness of future rounds of the program.

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Despite these very weird and unprecedented times, I hope you’ve had some time to safely enjoy some summertime activities. At least the weather has been pleasant! 

By the time you read this we will already be well into August. Normally, your ICBND staff would be in the home stretch of preparation for our annual convention. Sadly however, for the first time in 53 years, the Independent Community Banks of North Dakota will not be holding its annual convention this summer. As you know, your convention committee and board of directors made the difficult decision to cancel the convention in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. While the convention is off, we are moving forward to safely host a golf outing and social on Monday, August 17. I hope to see many of you later this month.

Politics, of course, are in the air again as well. Following the general election in November, the 67th Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature will hold its organizational session in early December in preparation for the 2021 legislative session which will be called to order on January 5th.

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Usually I’m not at a loss for words…probably to the chagrin of many of your association’s board members and my coworkers! But I’ve literally stared at my screen for a few minutes wondering how to characterize these times since I last penned a president’s message to you a couple months ago. And yet, I haven’t really come up with anything very prophetic.

Here's what I do know. We live in a very dynamic world. And in that dynamic environment, we’re experiencing a plethora of situations economically, medically, politically, and socially that are affecting our communities, our state, our country and our planet. Some are unprecedented. Others not so much.

I’m not going to espouse an opinion on any of these dynamics. All I know is that these times have really made me think about what matters in this life. Faith, family and relationships rise to the top of the list.

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Who could have possibly guessed three weeks ago that we’d be in the situation we are today relative to the Covid-19 virus and its dramatic effects to the global health of humanity and the economy. To say these are unprecedented times (at least during my lifetime) would be a tremendous understatement.

The last few days have been quite a whirlwind with the rollout of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on Friday, April 3rd. Much has been written and discussed about the rollout. And not much of it good. It was an unmitigated disaster. Most of your lenders lived it.

What was good is that I got to witness firsthand the tenacity and perseverance of community bankers as they kept their heads up, battled through the challenges, and didn’t panic - all in the interests of assisting the small businesses in their beloved communities. In some cases, this PPP lifeline is more about saving these businesses – not just assisting.

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I hope this message finds you all enjoying a happy and prosperous 2020. Unfortunately, my Vikings will once again not be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend. But, I’m quite certain that next season is going to be our year. Oh, the curse of being a Vikings fan.

ICBND is excited about our 2020 education and advocacy sessions and encourage you to check them out at https://www.icbnd.com/ Our programming kicks off late next month in Grand Forks with the Emerging Leaders Winter meeting including the Green Room Experience and hockey at the Ralph. UND Hockey is having a fabulous year and the event should be very informational and entertaining.

We will be conducting the FDIC Bankers College on April 21 in Bismarck and April 23 in Fargo. Please plan on attending this event at either venue. The FDIC always comes with timely, germane information that helps us to be better bankers and directors. Similarly, we will be conducting the Women in Community Banking Summit in Fargo and Bismarck that same week with hopes that members can efficiently participate in both events if you’re so inclined. We are also adding a new twist to the Summit so please consider bringing one of your valued customers as well. Those are just a few of the nearly 20 live education sessions already scheduled for this year. So please keep an eye out for more information on all of these events.

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I hope this message finds you recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s truly my favorite holiday and such a wonderful time to spend with family and friends. My favorite part was spending several days with my two grandsons who make me think that I should have had them first (I hope my wife and three daughters don’t read this…and I’m pretty confident they don’t!) A close second on my favorite list is gravy and stuffing. Why don’t we have this stuff more often during the year? I suppose a regular diet of gravy probably isn’t a wise health move.

As I look back on 2019, I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to represent you all and the interests of community banking in North Dakota and nationally. And, I’m proud of our accomplishments this past year. The 66th Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature convened on January 3 this year and adjourned on April 26. It’s always a busy time during North Dakota’s statutorily-limited 80 day session and while we didn’t get everything we hoped for out of the session, community banking fared well. I often tell people that it’s more of a defensive battle than offensive at our state capitol. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always critical to advocate for our wants and needs. And, we do. But, often we spend more of our time educating and advocating against bad ideas. Sometimes those are bad ideas for community banking and sometimes they are just bad ideas for our communities. And, one thing I’ve learned is that bad ideas can come from anywhere! Much of 2020’s activities will be preparing again for the 2021 session so please stay tuned.

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Hello friends! I’d like to say it’s been a beautiful fall, but I’d be lying. Record rainfall and cold temperatures across much of the state are creating a tremendous hardship for our agricultural producers as they try to get crops off the field. After the rain event a couple weekends ago, I was visiting with a number of ag lenders from both member banks and non-member banks. One gentleman made the comment that there were significant challenges getting equipment TO the fields, much less getting IN the fields as several roads were washed out in that particular market area.

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I hope this message finds you enjoying a great North Dakota summer!

It’s hard to believe August is already here. Of course, that means your ICBND staff is in the home stretch of preparation for our 52nd annual convention. I hope you’re planning to attend. I promise it will be fun and informative! And, don’t forget to participate in Monday evening’s Superheroes them party which is sure to be entertaining.

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I think spring is finally here but it sure has taken its sweet time in arriving. Along with many across our great state, I’m crossing my fingers hoping for a growing season that can make up for the late field start that’s been encountered in much of the state. These are tough times in agriculture and producers need every bushel they can get. Mother Nature reminds us once again who is in charge!

Spring is a hopeful time as well. As the trees and grasses explode in response to a few long sunny days, we also hope for continued change on the regulatory relief front. And while we don’t have the same positive momentum at the federal level that we did a year ago with S. 2155 making its way to approval and signature, we continue to advocate as strongly as ever. In the waning days of April and the first day of May, twenty-six ICBND member bankers and guests converged again on Washington, DC along with community bankers from across the country for the 2019 ICBA Capital Summit.

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Happy Spring everybody! Well…we’re not quite there yet and given the snowpack conditions across the state we should probably hope for a slow, methodical melt. My heart goes out to those across the upper Midwest who are struggling with water and flooding issues. I’m hopeful that you all, especially those in the Red River Valley, are able to escape any damage and stay safe during this white-knuckle time.

After spending last week at the ICBA Convention in Nashville, I was reminded again that one of the very best parts of my job which is visiting with our members about what’s going on in their communities and at their banks. For a number of reasons, it feels like it’s been a long winter and I haven’t gotten to have as many of those visits as I’d like. Of course, the colder than normal weather plays a part in that. But more significantly, I’ve been cooped up these last three months in crowded, poorly ventilated hearing rooms at the Capitol seeing all the same people every day and most of them are either on the front end or back end of cold or flu conditions! Happens like that every session. And, how many times does one have to respond to the old “cold enough for you” question?

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I hope this message finds you all enjoying a happy and prosperous 2019. It’s January of an odd-numbered year, so we are hunkering in to the 66th Assembly of the North Dakota Legislature. As I write this, we are in the third full week of the session. Nearly 950 bills have been introduced so far. ICBND is tracking about 75 bills that could have varying degrees of effect to community banking. Obviously, the higher priority bills get more attention. In my limited space here, I won’t wander too far into the weeds of the bills and the issues we’re following. However, the ICBND Legislative Update is distributed and posted weekly for your reference.

We’ve just completed the marketing materials for a Fintech educational session on April 15, 2019 which will be sponsored by our newest endorsed member, Dakota Carrier Network. The session will also be held at their beautiful facility in Bismarck. Our keynote presenter will be Kevin Tweddle who is ICBA’s Chief Innovation Officer. We’re excited to offer this timely session and hope to see you there.

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