Local Decisions, Local Impact

As Seen in Forbes and Fortune's South Dakota - Best in Banking

“We try to do business with the same principles that guided us in 1904,” says Cameron Becker, president and chief credit officer of Rivers Edge Bank. “We’re still using local deposits to make local loans. When folks deposit money into the bank, we use that money to help other folks in our region do things like grow their farm or business or buy a home. It’s a traditional banking model that still works.”

Formed from the 2017 merger of three longstanding community banks, Rivers Edge Bank has deep roots in southeastern  South Dakota and northwestern Iowa. The bank provides the same range of services as its larger competitors, from personal checking accounts to business loans, all supported by robust online and mobile banking tools. The bank’s five location network covers an expansive rural area, serving towns with populations from 500 to 2,600 residents. No one understands these communities better than their local bankers.

“Our decisions are made locally rather than needing to be approved at some corporate headquarters in another state,” says Becker. “We’re able to operate with greater flexibility, and that emphasis on local decision-making separates us from the larger regional and national banks.”

This self-sufficient and community focused approach is at the core of Rivers Edge Bank’s business philosophy. The bank’s name is inspired by the old adage: “If you row someone across the river, you will get there yourself.” By helping customers reach the other side of their financial goals, the bank is doing more than helping one person, family, or business to succeed. It’s helping the entire community.

This locally focused philosophy extends to the bank’s approach to customer service. When customers call the bank with a question or problem, the voice on the other end of the line is someone at the bank, not some distant call center.

“We’re centered on our local customer relationships, supported by our team and modern digital banking tools,” says Jodi Eich, CEO. “Their success is our success.”

Planting the Seeds of a Growing Community

Rivers Edge Bank’s long-standing local focus is especially evident in the bank’s support of the region’s agriculture industry.

“We talk a lot about the weather around here, and not just because it’s something that we all have in common,” says Derek Nolan, vice president – marketing. “We’re in a very rural part of the country, and we serve a lot of small towns where everything centers around agriculture. Farming is very much a part of our economy and culture here.”

In addition to standard business banking products, such as equipment financing and lines of credit, Rivers Edge Bank provides crop insurance and agriculture loans. By serving the needs of these vital local businesses, the bank is working to ensure the future economic stability and success of the entire region.

“One of the ways that we’re planning for the future is through succession planning,” says Nolan. “We want to ensure that we have the next set of owners and leaders ready to go and that they all share the same priority of staying local. We plan on being a local community bank for another 120 years—evolving with our customers while staying true to our roots.”

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Member FDIC & Equal Housing Lender.  Crop insurance products sold by Rivers Edge Bank are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits, and may lose value.