Mixed bag reported in Great Southern executive compensation

Great Southern Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: GSBC) had an overall 4.4% decline in total 2024 compensation among its top officers, with three recording increases and two posting decreases.

Combined, the five officers listed in Great Southern's March 27 proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had total compensation of $4.1 million. That's down from $4.3 million in 2023.

All of the officers had increases in their annual salaries. The decreases in total compensation were largely due to differences in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings.

Great Southern's top executives, by 2024 total compensation reported in the proxy filing, are as follows:
• Joe Turner, president and CEO, $1,563,373, down 12.1%
• Rex Copeland, senior vice president and chief financial officer, $667,191, down 7.2%
• John Bugh, chief lending officer and vice president, $641,429, up 13.4%
• Kevin Baker, chief credit officer and vice president, $634,551, up less than 1%
• William Turner, board chair, $630,168, up less than 1%

During 2024, the Springfield-based Great Southern Bank operator reported $61.8 million in annual net income, an 8.9% decrease from $67.8 million in 2023.

GSBC shares were trading at $49.66 as of 11:24 a.m., compared with a 52-week range of $47.57 to $68.02 per share.