User:MikeHildner/sandbox

Company
Associated Banc-Corp (nasdaq: ASBC) is a diversified regional bank specializing in retail and commercial banking, commercial real estate lending, wealth management and specialized financial services. With total assets of $22 billion as of Sept. 30, 2011, Associated Banc-Corp is one of the top 50 bank holding companies operating in the United States and is the parent company of Associated Bank.

Associated Bank has approximately 270 banking locations serving more than 150 communities, primarily throughout the Bank’s three-state footprint of Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. The Bank’s subsidiaries include Associated Financial Group – which provides business insurance and human resources consulting services, Associated Investment Management, Kellogg Asset Management and Associated Investment Services (Brokerage).

Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin., Associated Bank employs more than 4,900 people and is the largest bank holding company in Wisconsin. In addition, the Bank was named the number one Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in Wisconsin for fiscal year 2010 and is the largest home loan lender in the state of Wisconsin based on the 2011 HMDA Market Share Report.

Lines of Business
Associated Banc-Corp is a bank holding company. Through its various banking subsidiary, including Associated Bank, it provides a broad array of banking and nonbanking products and services to individuals and businesses through the Midwest, including small and larger business, government/municipalities, metro or niche markets and companies with specialized lending needs. The Bank’s business is primarily relationship-driven and is organized into several core offerings:


 * Retail Banking: Comprises banking capabilities, including lending, deposit gathering, checking accounts, mortgage solutions, education saving products, IRA accounts, certified deposits and other banking-related products and services for consumers and small businesses.


 * Commercial Banking: Offers services related to financing, employee benefits, treasury management, insurance and investing, equipment and machinery leasing and international banking.


 * Commercial Real Estate Lending: Offers commercial real estate loans and lending solutions, including construction financing, interim/bridge financing, acquisition financing, term financing and refinancing.


 * Wealth Management/Private Banking: Provides investment management, advisory and corporate agency services to assist customers in building, investing, or protecting their wealth. Customers include individuals, corporations, small businesses, charitable trusts, endowments, foundations and institutional investors.

The Bank has consistently maintained regulatory capital ratios at or above the well capitalized standards and the Bank’s allowance for loan losses was equal to 91.09 percent of its nonaccrual loan balances.

Regional Presence
Associated Bank’s three-state footprint includes Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. Primary centers of activity include Green Bay, Wis., Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis. The Bank is also actively involved in regions such as Eau Claire, Wis., La Crosse, Wis., Madison, Wis., Stevens Point, Wis., Wausau, Wis., Peoria, Ill., Rockford, Ill., Cincinnati and St. Louis.

The Bank’s principal executive office is located at 1200 Hansen Road, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54304.

History
Associated Bank as it is known today is the result of many mergers and acquisitions, with the roots of the founding banks stretching back 150 years. The Bank was created through the merger of First Financial of Stevens Point and Associated Banc-Corp of Green Bay in 1997, retaining the name of the latter. First Financial was a conglomerate of many primarily Wisconsin-based Thrifts and Savings and Loan banks. The founding of the original Associated Banc-Corp dates to 1970, when three community banks in Northeast Wisconsin – Kellogg Citizens Bank of Green Bay, Manitowoc Savings Bank and First National Bank of Neenah – formed a banking alliance that ultimately consolidated into Associated Bank.

1861-1969: The Beginning Years
 * Three founding banks:
 * o The First National Bank of Neenah, founded in 1861
 * o Kellogg Citizens National Bank, Green Bay, founded 1874
 * o Manitowoc Savings Bank, founded in 1884 as the Schuette Bank


 * The banks comprised three independent business leaders competing in Northeast Wisconsin, all with the same community growth focus.

1970-1993: Expansion through Consolidation and Small Community Banks Acquisitions
 * 1970: Associated Banc-Corp, the financial services holding company, was officially formed.
 * o The banks operated independently with consolidated support functions.


 * A series of community bank acquisitions followed.
 * Bank assets size increased to $2.9 billion by the end of 1993 and the branch footprint expanded across the state of Wisconsin.

1994-2007: Transformation to a Regional Player
 * 1997: Merger between Associated Bank and First Financial, which doubled the size of the Bank’s assets to $10.6 billion. 2004: First Federal expanded Associated Bank’s footprint into Western and Southwest Wisconsin, as well as brought the in-store channel to the Bank’s mix.
 * 2005: State Financial Services increased the Bank’s concentration in Southeast Wisconsin and expanded the corridor to Northern Illinois.
 * 2007: First National Bank of Hudson expanded Associated Bank’s footprint in the Northern Wisconsin and Twin Cities markets.
 * 2007: Associated Bank’s asset size grew to $21.5 billion.

2008-2011: Recession and Turnaround
 * 2008: Associated Bank grew assets to $24.2 billion, but, like many banks, was impacted by the economic recession of 2008 and 2009.
 * 2009: Associated Bank posted a loss of $132 million.
 * 2010: New executive leadership made several aggressive asset sales, cleaning up the Bank’s troubled loan portfolio and returning Associated Bank to profitability. Associated Bank currently has assets of $22 billion as of Sept. 30, 2011
 * As of May 6, 2011, the Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded Associated Banc-Corp rating from 'BB-' to 'BBB-', and banking subsidiary Associated Bank N.A., from 'BB+' to 'BBB'.
 * Completed the repurchase of all of the Bank's remaining Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) preferred stock on Sept. 14, 2011.

Board of Directors
William R. Hutchinson

Karen T. Van Lith

John F. Bergstrom

Ruth M. Crowley

Philip B. Flynn

Ronald Richard Harder

Eileen A. Kamerick

Richard T. Lommen

J. Douglas Quick

John C. Seramur

Robert A. Jeffe

Executive Committee
Philip B. Flynn, president and chief executive officer, joined Associated Bank in December 2009. With more than 30 years experience in the banking industry, Flynn works to expand the Bank’s presence throughout the Midwest and grow its capabilities and service offerings. Prior to joining Associated Bank, Flynn held the position of Vice Chairman and Chief Operating officer of Union Bank of California, and was a member of Union Bank's Board of Directors since 2004. Flynn is a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC), a private sector civic organization whose mission is to contribute to the cultural and economic base of the Milwaukee Metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Foundation’s Board of Directors. He also serves on the Milwaukee Art Museum Board of Trustees.

Flynn is supported by the following executive leadership team:


 * Oliver Buechse - executive vice president, chief strategy officer
 * Patrick J. Derpinghaus - executive vice president, general auditor
 * Judith M. Docter - executive vice president, director of human resources
 * Breck F. Hanson - executive vice president, head of commercial real estate
 * Arthur G. Heise - executive vice president, chief risk officer
 * Scott S. Hickey - executive vice president, chief credit officer
 * Timothy J. Lau - executive vice president, head of wealth management
 * Mark J. McMullen - vice chairman, Associated Bank N.A.
 * Mark D. Quinlan - executive vice president, chief information officer
 * Joseph B. Selner - executive vice president, chief financial officer
 * Donna N. Smith - executive vice president, head of commercial middle market and regional banking
 * David L. Stein - executive vice president, head of retail banking
 * John A. Utz - executive vice president, head of specialized/Industries and commercial financial services

Social Responsibility
Associated Banc-Corp provides financial contributions and volunteer support to local, nonprofit community organizations throughout its footprint. Associated Bank also holds an annual, footprint-wide campaign and donation matching program in partnership with the United Way.

Rankings / Awards

 * U.S. Small Business Administration’s annual list of top lenders in Wisconsin named Associated Bank as the number one Small Business Administration (SBA) lender for fiscal year 2010. Nationally, Associated Bank is number 19 in the nation out of 2,590 participating lenders nationwide for SBA lending in fiscal 2010.
 * The 2011 HMDA Market Share Report has established Associated Bank as the number one mortgage originator headquartered in Wisconsin for the third consecutive year. In 2010, Associated Bank originated more than 25,000 HMDA loans totaling $3.6 billion8. The Bank helped approximately 1,318 customers avoid foreclosure, which represents nearly $85.9 million in mortgage loans.