Milner Quits Iowa Bankers to Head State Regulators Group

Neil Milner is leaving the Iowa Bankers Association after 24 years to run the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

The CSBS board voted Wednesday to hire Mr. Milner to succeed James B. Watt, who retired June 30 after seven years as president of the group. Mr. Milner is slated to start Oct. 1.

Mr. Milner said he took the CSBS post because this is a "pivotal time" for state-chartered institutions. "With interstate branching, state- chartered institutions must develop the capacity to service new customer needs. We must also make certain federal regulators understand the value of the dual-chartering system."

Mr. Milner led the Iowa Bankers for 24 years and during the decade before his move to Des Moines he was executive manager for the South Dakota Bankers Association and deputy manager and public relations director for the Ohio Bankers Association.

"Neil Milner brings an extraordinary depth and range of experience to our organization," said Earl L. Manning, CSBS' chairman and Missouri's finance commissioner.

Mr. Milner is a former member of the American Bankers Association's board of directors and its government relations committee. He is also past chairman and a member of the ABA's State Association Division.

CSBS is a professional organization for the state officials who supervise the 7,086 state-chartered banks and 474 state-licensed branches of foreign banks.