Greetings everyone!! I hope you all missed me as much as I missed you, because I really missed all of you!! I normally don’t go through JTTW withdrawals, but I’m not going to lie, taking last month off was more difficult than the last time I skipped a month. I just really miss hearing from all of you. Since I have no social media presence at all, this newsletter is the only way for me to connect with our customers. I almost…ALMOST…started a Twitter account during my month off but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I would love to know what all of you think about the possibility of me being on Twitter. Good idea?? Horrible idea?? Yeah, I think I could get a lot of followers but at the end of the day I just don’t think the risk is worth the reward. As we all know, one bad tweet can bring a business to its knees and as you know, I occasionally…OCCASIONALLY…say something that I probably shouldn’t. And at least with JTTW I have a couple layers of editorial assistance in the event of an emergency. With Twitter, the same finger that I use when I say ‘hey, pull my finger’ would be the only thing standing between my thoughts and the world. That’s really scary when you think about it…

By the way, since the last time we spoke, I’ve had my appendix removed, I’ve tested positive for COVID, and I almost burned down my house because I couldn’t smell the pizza burning. Yeah, I’m definitely ready for July…

Let’s talk a little banking, and more specifically, interest rates. As you all know, the Fed has been very aggressive on tackling inflation and I’m guessing that they aren’t done raising rates this year. With that being said, a lot of banks (Malvern Bank included) are sitting on a lot of cash and therefore haven’t reacted to these rate hikes as quickly as some deposit customers might like. So let me just say this…we are monitoring the situation very closely and I’m guessing that things will become a little more active within the next 60 days as banks try to determine if these rate hikes are going to lessen loan demand (which is pretty much the Fed’s goal when raising rates). But one thing is certain…you can call me or Chris Gilbert or Kate McGann anytime to discuss your specific situation with Malvern Bank. We love hearing from you!

Is it too early for a Nebraska football joke?? As a season ticket holder, I say it’s not too early, so here’s a little multiple choice to get things started: The University of Nebraska recently announced that they are ending the tradition of releasing balloons after the Husker’s first score. This decision was made due to 1) Concerns that the balloons could endanger wildlife; 2) A national helium shortage; or 3) Fan complaints that they can no longer feel their fingers in the 3rd quarter…

July 3rd is National Fried Clams Day and I have some sad news to report: The last Howard Johnson’s motel in the United States has closed. What do these two things have in common?? Well, back when I was growing up my dad used to drag the entire Burdic family to the HoJo’s on 72nd Street for all-you-can-eat fried clams. Anybody else partake in this tradition back in the 70’s and 80’s?? Man, those clams were YUMMY!! Oh, to go back in time…

By the way, I read an article the other day that said the average human attention span has gone from 14 seconds to 8 seconds. How do they even measure that?? It’s not like you can just

As you all know, I love a good commercial. Besides the Progressive Insurance ads centered around the fact that we’re all becoming our parents (hysterical), my newest favorite commercial is the Hyundai ‘No Gas, No Squeegee’ ad where the gas station attendant won’t let the car owner use his squeegee because the car is a hybrid and doesn’t need any gas. I laugh because I am always stopping by Casey’s at night to get all the bugs off my windshield after driving home from Omaha but I never purchase gas as a thank you for the squeegee usage. I can’t imagine I’m the only person who does this…

This Month in Auctions, Part 1: I just read that the huge fiberglass steer on top of Anthony’s Steakhouse in Omaha recently sold for $45,000. I don’t have a joke for this, but I did Google the difference between a bull and a steer and let’s just say that after 30 years in a farm bank, I can honestly say that I learned something this month…I think I’m ready for my first farm inspection now.

This Month in Auctions, Part 2: An anonymous bidder recently paid $19 million to have a private dinner with Warren Buffett. The dinner is scheduled to last a total of 5 hours – 3 hours for eating and 2 hours to calculate the tip.

And finally, a 103-year-old woman recently set a record for being the oldest person to skydive from an airplane. Onlookers were amazed at the spectacle, as the woman and her companion hit their intended target with pinpoint accuracy. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the woman’s teeth.

Until Next Time…we’ve changed the date of the bank’s open house from July 22nd to August 4th. Don’t forget to stop by!!

Jay