Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Item 3 . Legal Proceedings .
The information required by this Item is set forth in Note 19, Commitments and Contingencies, in the Company's consolidated financial statements, included under the caption "Consolidated Financial Statement" in the Company's 2023 Annual Report to Shareholders (included as Exhibit 13.1 hereto), incorporated herein by reference.
Item 4 . Mine Safety Disclosures .
Not applicable
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Executive officers of the Company are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board. The following table sets forth certain information with respect to all executive officers of the Company.
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Name Age Position
Brent M. Giles 56 Chief Executive Officer and Director
Gregg A. Bexten 56 President and Director
Chris E. Hafner 57 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Jason E. Schwartz 56 Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer
Kathleen L. Bruegenhemke 58 Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, Secretary and Director
The business experience of the executive officers of the Company for the last five years is as follows:
Brent M. Giles has served as a director and CEO of the Company and of the Bank since May 2023. Mr. Giles served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Blue Valley from July 2021 until he joined the Company, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Wisconsin Bank & Trust from May 2020 until July 2021. From September 2003 until May 2020, Mr. Giles served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Bancorp, Inc. and Bank Liberty, where he took the company public. Bank Liberty has been recognized as a “best bank,” “best place to work,” and “strongest mid-size bank.” Prior to 2003, Mr. Giles had several commercial banking roles of increasing responsibility and spent 9 years as an FDIC examiner. Mr. Giles received his bachelor’s degree in banking and finance and his MBA both from the University of Missouri where he is still involved speaking to graduate banking classes.
Gregg A. Bexten has served as a director and president of the Company and of the Bank since May 2023. From 2014 until May 2023, he served as Regional President of our Central Region. From 2000 until 2014 he served as a commercial lender in our Central Region with titles of Senior Vice President and Vice President. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Bexten served as a commercial lender with another financial institution and as a Commissioned Bank Examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Mr. Bexten possesses considerable expertise in overseeing lending, various finance and regulatory compliance aspects of community banking, which he attained through over 30 years of service, first as a bank regulator and then as a dedicated, tenured employee of the Bank.
Chris E. Hafner has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company and of the Bank since October 2023. Mr. Hafner served as an outside banking and business consultant to several entities from December 2022 until he joined the Company and the Bank. Mr. Hafner previously served as Chief Accounting Officer of CrossFirst Bank, the bank subsidiary of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed bank holding company, from February 2016 until November 2022. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Missouri Bank, a privately held bank, from June 2015 until January 2016, and as Chief Risk Officer at Missouri Bank from April 2012 until May 2015. Prior to joining Missouri Bank, he served as Chief Financial Officer at First National Bank of Kansas, a privately held bank, from August 2005 until December 2011 and, prior to that, he served as Assistant Controller at Commerce Bancshares, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed bank holding company, from June 2000 until July 2005. He served in various roles in the audit practice of Forvis, LLP (formerly BKD LLP) from July 1994 until June 2000. Chris received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Iowa State University. He has been previously licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.
Jason E. Schwartz has served as the Chief Credit Officer of the Company and of the Bank since December 2018. From 2014 to 2018, he served as the Regional Senior Credit Officer for our Central Region. From 2000 until 2014 he served as a commercial lender in our Central Region with titles of Senior Vice President and Vice President. Mr. Schwartz possesses considerable expertise in overseeing lending, various finance, and regulatory compliance aspects of community banking, which he attained through over 20 years of service, first at City National Savings Bank and then as an employee of the Bank.
Kathleen L. Bruegenhemke has served as a director of the Company and of the Bank since March 2017. From January 2017 until November 2023, she served as Chief Operating Officer of the Bank. From October 2014 until December 2016 she served as Columbia Market President for the Bank. She has served as Senior Vice President and Secretary of the Company since November 1997 and as Chief Risk Officer of the Company since June 2006. From January 1992 until November 1997, she served as Internal Auditor of the Bank (or of one of its constituent predecessors). Prior to joining the Bank, Ms. Bruegenhemke served as a Commissioned Bank Examiner for the FDIC. Ms. Bruegenhemke is a certified public accountant and possesses considerable expertise in overseeing various finance, regulatory compliance and risk management aspects of community banking, which she attained through over 30 years of service, first as a bank regulator and then as a dedicated employee of the Bank.
There is no arrangement or understanding between any executive officer and any other person pursuant to which such executive officer was selected as an officer.
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PART II