The Michigan Bankers Association recently named Kenneth Kelly, chairman and CEO of First Independence Bank, as the recipient of the 2024 MBA Banker of the Year award. Kelly is also vice chair of the ABA board.
Under Kelly’s leadership, the Detroit-based minority depository institution has risen to become the seventh largest African American–controlled commercial bank in the country, according to MBA. Kelly led First Independence Bank’s national expansion efforts with bank branches both in Detroit and in the Twin Cities through an unprecedented multi-bank collaborative effort. Over the last several years, First Independence Bank grew from approximately $250 million in assets to more than $600 million.
The MBA will honor Kelly at its 138th Annual Convention on Mackinac Island in June. “The contributions Kenneth, his team and bank make in Detroit and now Minneapolis bring both banking services and financial education to the communities they serve enabling those within to realize their dreams of building for the future,” MBA President and CEO T. Rann Paynter said.
