Jody R. Lowe
The Lowe Group
jody@lowecom.com
(414)777-1880 office
(414)322-9311 mobile
Heartland Financial USA, Inc.: Rebrands in Wisconsin as Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsin Community Bank in Madison and Monroe Markets and Heartland Business Bank in Green Bay and Sheboygan Markets Will Unite Under the Same Name
Dubuque, Iowa, July 18, 2012—Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF) announced today that it will rename its Wisconsin Community Bank subsidiary to “Wisconsin Bank & Trust.” Currently, Heartland’s Madison and Monroe-area banks operate under the Wisconsin Community Bank brand, while branches in Green Bay and Sheboygan operate as Heartland Business Bank. The new name will unite both entities and serve clients under a common brand, fostering opportunities to expand the bank’s presence in the state. The new name will be implemented over the summer.
“Though our name is new, our business approach and company remains completely unchanged, said Tom Wilkinson, Chairman and CEO of the Wisconsin-chartered bank. “Our attributes of financial strength, value-added services, and long heritage in Wisconsin make this change possible.
“Our customers will continue to count on the same employees they know and trust, the same solid community support, superior face-to-face personal service, and competitive financial products. We value our 100-year old heritage of community banking in Wisconsin. From our origins in 1912 as Cottage Grove State Bank, we now serve customers in multiple locations in the state.”
Customers in each of the bank’s markets will be notified of the change this week and will see no changes to their accounts or services during or after the transition to the new name. Said Wilkinson, “The only change customers will see is the bank’s new name and logo on buildings, our website and statements. We anticipate the transition to be complete by early September.
“We believe our clients will find the new name reflects a solid and time-tested community banking organization that serves consumer, small business, commercial and wealth management markets. Our goal is to provide services that compete head-to-head with big banks—while offering the traditional personal service and timeless values that customers value in community banking.”
About Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WB&T), formerly Wisconsin Community Bank and Heartland Business Bank, is a community bank with assets of $500 million serving customers in the Madison, Monroe, Green Bay, and Sheboygan areas of Wisconsin. The bank operates seven branch offices, all located in Wisconsin, and is a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., (NASDAQ: HTLF). WB&T is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and an Equal Housing Lender.
Learn more at www.thewcb.com.
About Heartland Financial USA, Inc.
Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is a $4.3 billion diversified financial services company providing commercial and retail banking, residential mortgage, wealth management, investment services, insurance and consumer finance services. Heartland currently has 64 banking locations in 43 communities in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Colorado and Minnesota, as well as, mortgage loan production offices in California, Nevada, Texas, Wyoming and Idaho. Additional information about Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is available at www.htlf.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release, and future oral and written statements of Heartland and its management, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Heartland’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. Although these forward-looking statements are based upon the beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Heartland’s management, there are a number of factors, many of which are beyond the ability of management to control or predict, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in its forward-looking statements. These factors, which are detailed in the risk factors included in Heartland’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, include, among others: (i) the strength of the local and national economy; (ii) the economic impact of past and any future terrorist threats and attacks and any acts of war, (iii) changes in state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies concerning the Company’s general business; (iv) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of the Company’s assets; (v) increased competition in the financial services sector and the inability to attract new customers; (vi) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (vii) the loss of key executives or employees; (viii) changes in consumer spending; (ix) unexpected results of acquisitions; (x) unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation involving the Company; and (xi) changes in accounting policies and practices. All statements in this release, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Heartland undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events.
