Our History

The Minden Exchange Bank opened for business on September 1, 1883. Establishing themselves as frontrunners in the Minden scene, the founders of the Minden Exchange Bank (Kingsley and Webb) constructed the first brick building in Minden in 1884, locating on a portion of the lots still occupied by the Bank structure.

Brick and mortar, machines and now sophisticated computers are necessary for conducting business, but structures and machinery mean very little if the personal touch is lacking. "People" are the backbone of any business, and we feel this is even more especially true in banking.

People have performed the vital functions, the day-to-day dealings, and the community leadership duties so essential and vital to the development of the area, and, consequently, the growth and progress of the Minden Exchange Bank & Trust Co.

The Kingsley name will never be lost in the historical annals of Minden, Kearney County and the region, not only because of the early and long-time involvement in the Bank, but also in the progressive development of irrigation and agriculture in Nebraska.

Peaks and valleys were respectively enjoyed and endured, and during the first three decades of the 1900's, banking in turn flourished and faded. Growth through the hardships of the 1930's was painful and slow. Perhaps the only beneficial outgrowth of the drought-depression years was the accelerating interest in the development of irrigation.

Our area has been blessed with progressive leadership, resulting in what can be termed a good environment for not only agricultural progress but also a solid business and industrial growth base. Historically, challenges have resulted in opportunities.

We, at times like this, need to look back, take a break, and let nostalgia rule for a brief time. But we must not let the backward look interfere with the real purpose of our existence - That of providing forward-looking leadership into the future!

Success and failure - progress and an occasional step backward - have been registered in the history of the community. Fortunately, the number of successes have far outnumbered the failures. The progress of the community can be traced graphically through comparisons of total assets as the bank continued to grow into the leadership position it now possesses.

We want to serve you efficiently in this computerized electronic age as we move into and through a new century. We also want to continue to extend this service on a friendly, person-to-person basis through the most advanced technology that best fits your needs. We have had the good fortune of meeting and working with good people, many of whom were your ancestors: honest hard working people who through the dignity and character of their lives made our community a better place to live.