Citing his leadership in advocacy and “his thoughtful, deliberate dedication to the essence of community banking,” BankBeat magazine has named Bryan Bruns — president and CEO of Lake Central Bank in Annandale, Minnesota — as its 2024 Banker of the Year.
The magazine highlighted Bruns’ decision for Lake Central Bank to join the Minnesota Bankers Association in a lawsuit challenging the FDIC’s retroactive guidance on non-sufficient funds policies. “That’s not an insignificant decision,” said ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols in an interview for BankBeat. “It’s a tangible example of him taking on leadership on a national level.”
BankBeat also highlights Bruns’ leadership as a past chair of the ABA Community Bankers Council, his service on the ABA board and the ABA Core Platforms Committee, his chairmanship of the Minnesota Bankers, as well as his term on the CFPB’s Community Bank Advisory Council.
“I liked being involved in organizations where all voices were represented and could come together and debate before presenting a unified front,” Bruns told BankBeat. “For me, I like that the largest banks in the country and the smallest banks in the country are in the same room discussing what’s best for the industry. We definitely don’t agree on everything, but we agree on way more than we don’t.”
