As many of you may know by now, on February 23rd Governor Ricketts appointed me to become the new state Senator for the 42nd District. I am truly honored to have been selected and will do all that I can to represent the interests of all residents within the expanded 42nd District which includes Hooker, Logan, McPherson, Thomas, Lincoln and most of Perkins County. I will be working diligently to complete the current term and immediately begin traveling the district to confirm what every voter wants to see from their state Senator. I will be running for a full four-year term and will be on the ballot for the May Primary. I want to thank all the staff for stepping up and taking care of our customers’ needs as I take on this added responsibility. I do plan to remain in my role as President and CEO of the Bank but will be devoting a significant amount of time focusing on the need of the 42nd District in the Legislature. I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me and look forward to continuing to serve you.
I have been telling you for some time now that interest rates will go higher. That time has finally arrived. The Federal Reserve has all but guaranteed us that they intend to begin raising the Federal Funds Rate (Fed Funds) at their March Meeting. They also intend to raise this “benchmark” rate every quarter for the remainder of the year. Many economists are expecting a 25-basis point (1/4 of 1%) increase at each of the Meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve. With that said, we also need to keep an eye on the Treasury Yield Curve. At the beginning of March, the 1-Year Treasury Bill is yielding 1.02%, the 5-Year is yielding 1.76%, and the 10-Year Treasury is yielding 1.89%. As you can, see the spread between the 5-Year and the 10-Year is only .13% basis points. The message that the Market is telling us is that they do not believe that yields will keep spiking higher before a recession could come in and cause rates to fall again. You will want to keep an eye on the 10-Year Rate to relative to the shorter-term bond yields to better predict how high rates may go, and for how long.
In addition to the ongoing inflation numbers, which generally suggest that rate hikes are coming to curb inflation, we also need to keep an eye on the problems in Ukraine. Whenever we have geo-political threads, the Markets become more volatile. In many cases, that means that investors look to bonds as a safe haven, thus causing bond yields to fall since demand for the bonds go up.
I think that we all have great concern for the people in Ukraine. It is devastating what the people there are experiencing. Let’s all keep them in mind in the days and weeks ahead.
As always, I want to thank you for your loyalty and invite you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Mike
Mike isn't going anywhere, but he's going places
From humble beginnings, to CEO; now Mike Jacobson represents the people of the 42nd District of the Nebraska Legislature, and we couldn’t think of a better person for the job! Mike has embodied the example and cultural standards that he has set for himself, his company, and what he hopes our community will be known for. While taking on this duty, he will remain an integral part of the Bank he built from the ground up as President and CEO. Click here to read more.
NebraskaLand Bank Employees Give over $19,000
Each year, the Employees of NebraskaLand Bank nominate various organizations in our communities to be the recipients of monetary donations contributed by the Bank Employees. The “My Fair Share” program allows the Employees of NebraskaLand Bank to decide what percentage of their contribution will directly benefit each organization.
The recipients of the 2021 my Fair Share Program are:
- The North Platte Community Build Playground
- Deborah’s Legacy-North Platte
- Rape and Domestic Abuse Program- North Platte
- The North Platte Trails Network
- The Todd Becker Foundation-Kearney
- Kearney Area Animal Shelter
- Hospice of Sweetwater County-Rock Springs
Pledges awarded to these organizations totaled over $19,000.
Approximately $179,000 has been donated since the program’s inception in 2004.
eStatements: Safer Than Paper Statements
Now more than ever it’s important to keep your identity safe. A review of Secret Service cases that included components of identity theft and identity fraud suggests your greatest exposure for identity theft is at your mailbox. The report showed the top two methods of identity theft were re-routing of mail and mail theft.
You’re better off with electronically delivered statements than a paper copy that could end up in the wrong hands.
Enrolling is easy. Contact your personal banker today to learn more!
Did you know?
You can view statements on our mobile app? Download from the App Store or Google Play today!