DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- As the City of St. Louis celebrates the 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition and the 1904 World's Fair, it also plays host to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines' 2004 Annual Fall Conference. More than 300 members from the Bank's five-state district of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota are expected to attend the three day event beginning Monday, October 18. The Bank's Conference, Meet Me in St. Louis, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers. From dueling economists to a best-selling author and former NFL player turned NFL television analyst, Conference speakers will provide valuable information on current trends and topics relevant to banking and much more.
"We are excited about this year's Fall Conference," commented George Crowley, vice president/director credit sales for the Home Loan Bank. "Not only is St. Louis a remarkable location, we have an amazing program for our customers. Conference participants will learn about topics that are relevant to their business needs and important in today's changing financial environment."
Jeffrey Birnbaum, columnist for The Washington Post, will conclude the second day of the Conference with his Political Outlook session. Mr. Birnbaum, an award-winning author, Fox News contributor, columnist and Washington bureau chief for Fortune magazine, will offer a Washington outlook on current political trends, terrorism, corporate governance and business repercussions.
Dan Dierdorf, former NFL player turned NFL television analyst, will wrap up the final day of the Fall Conference with a luncheon address. As a three-time Emmy nominee, Mr. Dierdorf has distinguished himself nationally as one of the top sports announcers in the industry. He will share the story of his fascinating life and sports career.
A complete list of all Conference speakers is attached. For more information on the Bank's Fall Conference, Meet Me in St. Louis, or to schedule a speaker interview, please contact Angie Richards at 800.544.3452, ext. 1014. Further Conference information is available on the Bank's website at www.fhlbdm.com.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines is a AAA-rated wholesale bank that provides low-cost short and long-term funding and community lending to more than 1,200 stockholder commercial banks, saving institutions, credit unions and insurance companies. The Bank is wholly owned by its members and receives no taxpayer funding. The Des Moines Bank serves Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota and is one of twelve regional Banks that make up the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
Speaker Information:
Jeffrey Birnbaum, The Washington Post Jeffrey Birnbaum joined The Washington Post in March 2004. Prior to that, he spent seven years as the D.C. Bureau Chief of Fortune magazine and two years as a senior political correspondent for Time.
Mr. Birnbaum will offer a Washington outlook on current political trends, terrorism, corporate governance and business repercussions.
Robert Dederick, Ph.D., RGD Economics Dr. Dederick served in the first Reagan Administration as Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs. He has been an economic advisor to the Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Bankers Association.
During a one hour presentation, Dr. Dederick will engage in an animated dialogue with Dr. Herbert Neil. These well-respected economists will challenge each other's views on the current economy.
Dan Dierdorf, NFL Television Analyst Currently a NFL television analyst for CBS, Mr. Dierdorf provided expert commentary on ABC's "Monday Night Football" for more than a decade. During his stellar career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1971 to 1983, he was named all-pro six times, was selected as the NFL's top offensive lineman three times and was voted to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1970's.
Mr. Dierdorf, a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame, will share the story of his fascinating life and sports career.
Jeffrey Fox, Founder, Fox and Company Jeffrey Fox has consulted with companies in over 100 industries. A graduate of Harvard Business School (HBS), he is the subject of a HBS case study that is rated one of the 100 top case studies. Mr. Fox is the author of several bestsellers including How to Become CEO, How to Become a Rainmaker, and his latest release, How to Become a Great Boss.
Mr. Fox will share stories and lessons on how to manage people, and will offer his insight into how to run a responsible organization.
Linda Garvelink, National Financial Services Marketing Director, Grant Thornton Linda Garvelink manages Grant Thornton's financial services knowledge center and monitors technology, economic, regulatory and other business developments that affect financial institutions. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Ms. Garvelink was director of Bank Operations for the Independent Community Bankers of America.
Ms. Garvelink will present the findings of Grant Thornton's Eleventh Annual Survey of Community Bank Executives.
Don Hutson, CPA, Partner, BKD, LLP Don Hutson provides a full range of accounting, audit and consulting services. In addition to his client responsibilities, he is the firmwide director of BKD Financial Institutions Group, chairs the firm's financial institutions committee and directs the St. Louis office's financial institutions practice.
Herbert Neil, Ph.D. Throughout the course of his career, Herbert Neil taught economics at DePaul University, University of Illinois and Northwestern University. Dr. Neil received special awards at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Economic Outlook Symposium for Best Overall Forecast for 2000 and 2001.
During a one hour presentation, Dr. Neil will engage in an animated dialogue with Dr. Robert Dederick. These well-respected economists will challenge each other's views on the current economy.
Chris Nichols, CEO/President, Banc Investment Group Chris Nichols has 17 years of bank investment, loan and asset-liability management experience on both the buy and the sell side. Prior experience includes director of Bank Product Brokerage at Garban/ICAP, portfolio manager at Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi and bank consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Learn first-hand from Mr. Nichols about issues that shape trends in current community banking.
Matthew Pieniazek, President, Darling Consulting Group A frequent speaker and author of articles on balance sheet management topics, Matthew Pieniazek has served as the vice chairman of the A/L Management Committee of the Financial Managers Society. Prior to establishing Darling Consulting Group, Mr. Pieniazek was a CPA/audit manager and consultant at KPMG Peat Marwick.
Mr. Pieniazek will address issues of liquidity management.
Joel Prakken, Ph.D., Chairman, Macroeconomic Advisers Prior to founding Macroeconomic Advisers, Joel Prakken held the position of Senior Economist at the IBM Corporation and, before that, he served with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Prakken's clients include the President's Council of Economic Advisers, the Department of Treasury, the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve.
Dr. Prakken will explain what level of interest rates is sufficient for economic growth, how monetary policy is written and what policy decisions are involved in setting interest rates.
Ken Proctor, CPA, Director of Risk Management During his 30 year professional banking and consulting career, Ken Proctor has served as an internal consultant with a major regional bank, held responsible management positions in the auditing departments of two southeastern regional commercial banks and worked as a public accountant.
Mr. Proctor will outline tactics for stimulating and maintaining deposit and loan growth, characteristics and practices of high performing banks and strategies that will improve the bottom line.
Todd Sprang, CPA, Financial Institutions Partner, Chicago Office, Grant Thornton Todd Sprang is an Assurance Partner based in Grant Thornton's Chicago location and has over thirteen years of experience in public accounting. Mr. Sprang has performed many non-audit engagements for financial institutions involving review of S-4 registration statements for SEC registrants, FDICIA examinations, risk-based internal auditing and SAS 70 engagements.
Mr. Sprang will discuss changes in corporate governance and some practical implementation guidance.