November/December 2014
Wisconsin Community Banker
33
CHANGING SCENE
sidiary of Heartland Financial USA.
When Heartland acquires Commu-
nity Banc-Corp, the parent company
of Community Bank & Trust in an
all stock transaction valued at $52
million, Heartland will merge Com-
munity Bank & Trust into WB&T.
As a result, WB&T will gain 10 new
locations — the main office and three
branches in Sheboygan, as well as
branches in Sheboygan Falls, Plym-
outh, Elkhart Lake, Chilton, Glendale,
and Greenfield.
Following the deal, Heartland, a
diversified financial services company,
will have $6.4 billion in assets and 87
branches in 10 states. WB&T will have
assets of more than $1.1 billion and 19
branches in Wisconsin.
Peoples Community
Bank Branch Robbed
MAZOMANIE—The Plain branch of
The Peoples Community Bank was the
victim of a robbery. Two masked men
armed with handguns forced employ-
ees to turn over money from different
areas of the bank. After the employees
did so, the robbers forced them into
a corner and sprayed them with what
was suspected to be pepper spray.
Employees were taken to Sauk Prai-
rie Hospital for treatment.
Bank of Poynette Branch
Robbed
POYNETTE—The Harmony Grove
branch of the Bank of Poynette was
the victim of a robbery. A lone man
entered the bank, displayed a hand-
gun, and demanded cash.
A Columbia County sheriff ’s
deputy located a vehicle matching the
description of the getaway vehicle. The
deputy, with help from the Lodi Police
Department, took two men, Karl Lee
Kreier, 28, of Madison and Peter Lee
Meeker, 48, of Middleton into custody.
Blackhawk Stock Trades
on New Bank Exchange
BELOIT—Stock of Blackhawk
Bancorp, the parent company of
Blackhawk Bank, is trading on a new
exchange. The company has joined
OTCQX market, a dedicated mar-
ketplace for community and regional
bank stocks. Previously the hold-
ing company traded on the OTCQB
venture market. The company’s ticker
symbol remains BHWB.
OTCQX for banks was created for
strongly capitalized banks that have
committed to provide higher level
reporting and greater transparency. To
qualify for OTCQX a bank must meet
high financial standards, be current
with its regulatory reporting, and post
quarterly results and report mate-
rial events in a timely manner. These
banks must also appoint a corporate
broker — a FINRA member broker-
dealer specializing in bank stocks —
to serve as their OTCQX advisor.
Merger Includes
Wisconsin Branches
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. and IOWA
CITY, Iowa—Central Bancshares, Inc.,
parent of Central Bank, headquartered
in Golden Valley, Minn., and MidWe-
stOne Financial Group, Inc., parent
of MidWestOne Bank, headquartered
in Iowa City, Iowa, plan to merge.
Following the merger, MidWestOne
will operate MidWestOne Bank and
Central Bank as separate banking
subsidiaries.
The combined company is expected
to have nearly $3 billion in assets,
creating one of the premier publicly
traded financial services companies in
Iowa, Minnesota, and Florida. As of
