USM Business Students Reach Second Round of Community Bank Case Study Competition

Fri, 05/31/2024 - 06:42am | By: Van Arnold

A team of business students from The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has advanced to the second round of the 2024 CSBS Community Bank Case Study Competition.

Team members include: Julian Atehortua Martinez, Tyler Pierce, Walter Johnson, Garrett Lamky, and James Ankiewicz. They will join 10 other teams for the second round of judging.

The teams were chosen from a pool of 27 student teams that represent 21 colleges and universities across the nation. This marks the 10th year of the competition, which is open to undergraduate students in all fields of study as an opportunity to gain valuable first-hand knowledge of the banking industry.

This year, the teams have partnered with local community banks to learn about the closures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank, identify the case study bank’s expectations for regulatory and supervisory change, and how they use social media in their daily operations.

“We are thrilled to be among the top 11 teams to make it through the first round in this prestigious competition,” said Chase Blankenship, Pine Belt Division Manager with The First and a part-time faculty member in the School of Finance at USM. “Being the only team from Mississippi to advance is a tremendous honor, and it highlights the exceptional talent and commitment of these Southern Miss Business students. They have worked incredibly hard, and we are eager to continue our journey in the competition."

Results from the second round of judging will be announced on June 4. The top three teams will be announced on June 25.

Each student member and faculty advisor of the first-place winning team will receive a $1,000 scholarship and present their findings at the Community Banking Research Conference in St. Louis in early October. Their work will be published in the annual CSBS Journal of Community Bank Case Studies.

Teams that place second and third also will receive scholarships and have their works published in the journal. Learn more at www.csbs.org/bankcasestudy.