Independent Banker - January 2021 - 46

2021 Community Bank CEO Outlook
build cash reserves or pay off other
debt, Blankenship says. " The only
increase in profi tability will be in the
mortgage area, with maybe some
small increase in small business
lending, " she adds.
Kistler believes 2020's boon in
mortgage income won't continue
at the same rate in 2021. " We're
assuming for next year the refi nance
activity will be half of what it is
this year, " he says. " We hope that
purchase activity stays level. "
The silver lining
Though many community bankers
expect 2021 to be a challenging
year full of unknowns, many plan to
continue business as usual as best
they can.
Central Bancshares Inc. completed
an acquisition at the end of 2019
and merged the new bank into one
of its existing banks in June 2020.
Kistler says his two community
banks' most important goal will be
smooth operations.
" Our most important goal in the
short run for next year is to make
sure that we've adequately integrated
both those employees and customers
" For every market we go into,
we hire our team fi rst and then
we worry about real estate. It's the
antithesis of 'build it and they
will come.' That doesn't happen.
If you don't have relationships,
you won't grow in that market. "
-Bob McGivney, Flagship Bank
and that we're eff ectively servicing
them, " he says.
Propst of ANB Bank feels ready
for the year ahead. He believes
his community bank has the
fundamentals it needs to succeed.
" 2021 will bring a diff erent set of
challenges ... We may foresee some,
but a lot will be diff erent, " he says.
" For our bank, for all community
banks, the question is: Do you have
the discipline and all of the other
attributes that you need? We'll either
prove it or we won't. I think we will. " 
Kelly Pike is a writer in Virginia.
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46 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q January 2021
Independent Banker - January 2021

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