Northern Regional Community Development Plan

Retail and Mortgage Lending Activities

A. Target Mortgage Lending Goals (2014 Prior Year)

1. Believable Banking – Home Mortgage
   • $4MM over 3 years
2. Believable Banking – Home Improvement Loan
   • $2MM over 3 years

B. Diverse Community Engagement Marketing Strategy

1. Traditional Advertising Mediums
   • The Journal Standard – 16.64% to 31.93%

     The Journal Standard offers the Scene, covering Stephenson County; which includes Freeport and surrounding rural communities, as well as the On-Target digital display.

   • WVON Radio – Midway Broadcasting Corporation

     Midway Broadcasting Corporation is a best-in-class 35 year-old African-American owned media boutique whose properties include radio and interactive platforms. The MBC’s properties include WVON 1690AM, Chicago’s urban heritage station. With its urban talk format, the station is lauded as a leading source of information and community empowerment.

   • WRLL Radio – Chicago’s Home for Hispanic Independent Broadcasters

     WRLL is committed to preserving the authentic voice and culture of Chicago’s growing Latino target market.

   • HOY

     Hoy is a free Spanish-language newspaper with an engaging and energetic format distributed in areas of Chicago and neighboring suburbs with a dense Hispanic population.

C. Diverse Mortgage Loan Officers & Management

• Community Development & CRA Officer
• Community Development Mortgage Consultant

Small Business Lending – Believable Banking, “Emerging Business Program”

The objective of the Emerging Business Lending & Capacity Building Program (EBP) is to provide emerging company’s access to adequate market-rate capital liquidity, training, and other professional services, so they grow and increase capacity, creating economic opportunity in their communities. Emerging business are defined as: Minority/Women/Disadvantaged and Small Businesses as defined by the SBA SBIC guidelines. 

Community Development Partnerships

• Business Employment Skills Team
• Community Food Pantry
• Gateway Foundation
• Habitat for Humanity
• Horizon House
• Illinois Valley YMCA
• Junior Achievement
• Lee County Housing Authority
• Salvation Army
• Sinnissippi Center
• United Way

Community Outreach and Engagement

A. Financial Education

I. NICAA Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency  

B. Community Advisory Board – Meets Quarterly

I. Southern Region Advisory Board 2016 Members – Leonard Taylor, Larry Unverfehrt

• J.R. Schaffner – CEO, Inertia Machine Corp., Freeport, IL
• Kathy Peugh – President, Expresslane, Rock Falls, IL
  • Vice President, Johnson Oil Company, Rock Falls, IL
• Rick Curia – President, Ken Nelson Auto Group, Dixon, IL
• Scott Wolber – President, Arthur’s Garden Deli, Inc., Rock Falls, IL

C. Outreach and Engagement Efforts: Organization Membership, Board & Committee Appointments

• Mendota Hispanic Organization
• Mendota Chamber of Commerce
• Freeport Chamber of Commerce
• Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce
• Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce

Multi-Lingual Materials and Services

Midland States Bank will have multi-lingual materials available and provide access to multi-lingual staff as needed.