MBA Young Bankers hold meeting with Emerson

In an effort to become more involved and vocal in their industry, a group of young banking professionals plan to hold more events like the one Monday in which they met with U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson to talk about the role of financial services in the community.

About 20 members of the Missouri Bankers Association Young Bankers listened to Emerson speak about issues affecting small banks and consumers, including the debt ceiling and mortgage regulations. Emerson serves as the chairwoman of the appropriations subcommittee on financial services and general government.

The MBA Young Bankers consists of seven regions across the state. The River Heritage Region includes Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area going north of Farmington and west to Poplar Bluff, according to local chapter leader Dawn Dauer. The River Heritage Region has about 50 members representing 15 banks and consists of Missouri bankers age 45 or younger who are employed by a MBA-member financial institution.

This was the first event hosted by the River Heritage Region and was the first time any region hosted a meeting with its representative. Dauer said she expects other chapters to host similar events.

In an industry where an older generation seems to dominate, Dauer said, it is important to get younger professionals active with banking.

"It's harder to get younger people involved so the purpose is to keep younger people engaged in business issues," Dauer said. "People came to this event to meet other young people in the business and learn about what's going on."

The MSA Young Bankers will host a leadership conference on Oct. 6 and 7 in Osage Beach, Mo. For more information, go to www.mobankers.com.

rpayne@semissourian.com

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