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Northwestern Financial Review, Oct 1-Oct 14, 2005

* The Fishing Hat Bandit, who confessed to 22 bank robberies in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month. A prosecutor said the bandit, John Whitrock, 57, may have been the most prolific bank robber in state history.

* U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, has formed an alliance with the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, Minn., to provide financial information, education and services to Mexican individuals and businesses. The bank has similar arrangements in place with other consulate offices. Through the arrangement, U.S. Bank will host quarterly financial education workshops at the consulate. In addition, bilingual bankers will staff a table on site each week to answer questions on the bank's products and services. The Mexican consulate in St. Paul opened in June.

* Great Northern Bank, St. Michael, Minn., was named a "2005 Great Place To Work" in the small company category by the Twin Cities Business Journal. The publication annually selects award recipients based on employee ratings in categories such as: team effectiveness, trust with co-workers, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued and people practices. The $70 million bank employs 22 people.