Newsmakers in Financial Services

Derek Peacock, assistant vice president of Metropolitan National Bank in Springfield, recently attended first-year classes of the Missouri Bankers Association School of Banking at Southwest Missouri State University. The association's School of Banking is a comprehensive course of study of banking issues for industry professionals. The two-year program includes not only the classroom sources but also interim course assignments.

Kenneth W. Boehne, investment professional with Boehne Financial Group in Rogersville, was named a member of the 29th Annual Golden Scale Council of Putnam Investments. The Putnam Golden Scale Council comprises investment professionals who have met the highest professional standards in serving investors during the previous year.

The Greater Ozarks Chapter of the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women elected its 2002-03 executive board. Elected individuals and their positions are: Vickie Umfleet, president; Pam Aleshire, president-elect; Holly Radloff, secretary; Michele Malarkey, treasurer; and Melody Crigler, Tracey Blaue and Kathy King, directors.

Craig R. Curry, chairman and chief executive officer of Central Bank in Lebanon, was recently elected to serve a one-year term as chairman of the Missouri Bankers Association. Other area individuals elected by the MBA were Douglas A. Doll, chief executive officer of Arvest Bank in Joplin, who will represent the Ozark region of southwest Missouri on the board of directors; and W. Masters Owen, executive vice president of UMB Bank, NA, Springfield, who will serve on the board in his capacity as chairman of the association's Government Relations Committee.

Great Southern Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Great Southern Bank, was ranked No. 5 among all publicly held banks and thrifts in the nation with assets of more than $1 billion by the ABA Banking Journal in its June issue. The ranking was based on 2001turn on equity performance; for that year, Great Southern posted a 23.60 percent return on average equity.