Clark Young, Citizens State Bank

Executive vice president Citizens State Bank, Hugoton, Kan.

Trained as a lawyer, community banker Clark Young quips that his legal expertise will help him avoid "ending up in j ail for bank fraud."

But the blizzard of new banking rules is no joke, and the executive vice president of Citizens State Bank believes his training will prove valuable in helping the $65 million-asset institution to cope.

"It looks like there will be quite a lot of work to do in keeping up with regulatory changes and the new banking environment," said the 33-year-old executive, who holds a law degree from Washburne University in Topeka.

Coping with regulatory paperwork is only one of Mr. Young's responsibilities. As the head of bank operations, he also tries to meet the needs of his customers.

Mirroring the banking industry's growing service orientation, Mr. Young has installed an automated teller machine, added a discount brokerage, and even opened a travel agency at his bank, which serves a community of 3,500.

"People appreciate having these additional services," says the graduate of Texas Christian University. "They can get more things done locally, instead of having to go out of town."

Mr. Young's service enhancements apparently have not come at the expense of profitability: He expects a healthy 1.2% return on average assets this year, up 1 0 basis points from 1991.

In addition to his banking duties, Mr. Young is treasurer of the Stevens County Economic Development Board and a member of the Rotary Club. He is a past president of Hugoton's Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Young's commitment to his bank and his community comes as no surprise. His grandfather worked at the bank in the 1920s, and his father signed on in the 1950s.

Those roots will come in handy as the third-generation banker battles the twin adversities of increased regulation and competition from the Farm Credit System, which covets the farm borrowers that do business with his bank in the southwest corner of Kansas.

"There always will be a niche that community bankers will be able to fill," says the confident Mr. Young, who kicked off his banking career as a teller during summer college breaks. "People enjoy our service and want to be waited on. We can do a better job of that."

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