(Posted May 28, 2019)

Huntingdon, Pa. – Four Juniata College students were recognized May 23 as the top team in the nation, winning the 2019 Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) Case Study Competition, a national program that allows undergraduate student teams and local community banks to collaborate and conduct case studies. 

Katherine “Katie” Migatulski, a recent graduate from Boiling Springs, Pa.; and Wyatt Page of King of Prussia, Pa.; David Hibner of Burke, Va.; and Matthew “Matt” Schaeffer of Mount Joy, Pa., all rising juniors, conducted a case study on this year’s topic, “How community banks will benefit from the new Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act.”

The announcement of the winners was made on Twitter via @CSBSNews during the CSBS State-Federal Supervisory Forum in Austin, Texas.

“We are thrilled to be the overall winner of the competition,” says Sinéad Gallagher, assistant professor of accounting at the College, who served as the student team’s adviser. “The competition was a great opportunity to see first hand the impact community banks have on local communities and gave us an appreciation of the important role such banks play in the economy as 'engines of growth.'” 

Robin L. Wiessmann, Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking and Securities, congratulated Juniata’s team for winning first place out of 58 college teams representing 44 universities from throughout the United States. 

“On behalf of the Department, I’m thrilled to congratulate the students from Juniata College and Kish Bank on a fantastic case study,” says Wiessmann.

The team partnered with Kish Bank in Belleville, Pa., to prepare a case study focused on a recent regulatory relief provision contained in the Economic Growth, Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act. These relief provisions are intended to spur lending activity and reduce compliance costs for smaller banks and credit unions.

“The team of students from Juniata did a remarkable job of analyzing the impact of recent legislation of several very complex aspects of banking, like capital management, mortgage origination, regulatory compliance, and financial performance,” says Greg Hayes, president and chief operating officer of Kish Bank. “They developed insightful conclusions that demonstrate great potential for future careers in our industry and highlight the exceptional quality of students at Juniata. We are very proud of their accomplishments and we celebrate their success.”

Each team submitted a paper discussing their case study findings with a video highlighting their partner bank and the case study paper. 

“The case study that Juniata College students prepared will help banks to understand how the regulatory relief provisions will affect them,” Wiessmann says. “For the students, this competition gave them the opportunity to work directly with senior bank management and see first-hand the value of community banking.”

Each team member will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, the winning teams will have their case studies published in a journal of academic research that will be released during the Community Banking in the 21st Century Research and Policy Conference to be held Oct. 1-2, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri. 

"I am extremely honored to represent Juniata and the outstanding ABE department by winning the competition. It could not have been possible without the hard work of each team member and the leadership of Professor Gallagher,” says Schaeffer. “The team at Kish was great to work with. Overall, it was a useful learning experience that will benefit my future endeavors."

In October, Juniata College students will present their case study at the 2019 Community Banking in the 21st Century Research and Policy Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Since 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking & Securities has actively supported students and universities in the competition by:

  • • Informing colleges and faculty about the program
  • • Helping identify bank partners for student teams
  • • Promoting the successes of Pennsylvania teams

As part of a broader emphasis on student engagement, the Department also encourages students to pursue financial services industry careers with programs like the Next Generation Bankers Academy and FinLit.

“We congratulate all of these students for their hard work,” says Wiessmann. “Their case studies add valuable insight to the academic literature about community banks and their vibrancy here in the Commonwealth.”

For more information on the Community Bank Case Study Competition, visit http://www.csbs.org/bankcasestudy.

Consumers are reminded that if they have questions about banks, bank products, or bank transactions they can call the Department of Banking and Securities at 1-800-PA-BANKS to discuss their issues with a trained professional.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.