June 26, 2009 - Maine Association of Community Banks Names Chairman
Mark Mickeriz, president & CEO of Sanford Institution for Savings, was elected chairman of the Maine Association of Community Banks at its 116th Annual Meeting June 26 at Inn by the Sea.

A Maine native, Mark Mickeriz currently resides in Wells. He began his career in banking in 1976, and joined Sanford Institution for Savings in 2005 as president and CEO. A career Maine community banker, Mickeriz formerly held positions at Bank of Maine, Ocean Bank, and Camden National Bank. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine at Orono and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Mickeriz serves in a leadership role with many non-profit organizations. He is currently vice chairman of Goodall Hospital and serves on the board of the Sanford/Springvale Rotary club.

June 18, 2009 - "Gift of Green" Home ownership Initiative
Governor John E. Baldacci announced today some good news for first-time homebuyers – and for Maine’s housing market.  MaineHousing is starting a new “Gift of Green” homeownership initiative that provides eligible First Home program borrowers with up to $5,500 in financial incentives to purchase a home. MaineHousing launched the Gift of Green, part of its First Home program, with support from the Maine Association of Realtors, the Maine Association of Community Banks and the Maine Credit Union League.  MaineHousing’s First Home program offers low fixed-rate mortgages to eligible first-time homebuyers.

June 11, 2009 - Foreclosure Survey results
2009 Q1 - Thirty-two (32) state-chartered banks and credit unions held 86,279 mortgage loans at the end of March, consisting of nearly 50,000 first mortgage loans and more than 37,000 junior lien mortgage loans (including home equity lines of credit). Of the 86,279 loans, 240 (177 first mortgages and 63 junior lien mortgages) were In Process of Foreclosure, or one loan for every 359 mortgages (one for every 278 first mortgages). In addition, the number of Completed Foreclosures remains low in relation to the total number of outstanding mortgages (one for every 2290 mortgages and one for every 2357 first mortgages. In general, foreclosure activity at Maine banks and credit unions appears to be lower than in many other states and does not pose a threat to the stability of those financial institutions. [Click HERE to read the press release]

May 13, 2009 - Community Bank Director’s Forum
MACB’s 33‐year tradition of high quality education for bank directors, CEOs, and officers with responsibilities to the board brought a record crowd of 170 attendees to the Augusta Civic Center.  Brian Gardner of KBW led off with an assessment of how the recent political, legislative and regulatory environments affected the financial markets, banks and bank customers. Next, Jim Jones of First Wellesley Consulting Group outlined the six forces that will shape banking in the next five years and guided attendees in a highly interactive polling experience, “SurveyMatters™.  Save next year’s date:  May 12, 2010. [Click HERE for conference handouts]