Home Is Where The Heartland Is

Top executives from the downstate bank that took over the failed stopped by Tuesday night's village board meeting to introduce themselves to the town fathers.

"We are family owned and not subject to the whim of Wall Street," said Fred Drake, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Heartland Bank and Trust Company.

"Heartland Bank is a very strong organization focused on community banking," Drake said, telling of the 30 communites in 50 locations that Heartland serves.

Heartland took over the Bank of Shorewood in August after the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation closed it and appointed the FDIC receiver.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Drake, whose family has been in the banking business for three generations, introduced Heartland Senior Vice President Sandra Fleck, who will oversee not just the Shorewood branch of the former Bank of Shorewood, but also the branches in Elwood and Plainfield, which were taken over by Heartland as well.

Heartland is "ready and they are willing to commit to this community," said Fleck, who grew up in nearby Joliet.

Not only that, Fleck said, but Heartland is going to be a good fit for the Shorewood area.

"We are here," she said. This isn't going to be a fleeting bank, and this isn't going to be something growing to be a Goliath in the community."