May 21, 2024
A team of Mayville State University business students and advisor Dustin Olson, Professor of Business, participated in the Credit Analysis Competition sponsored by the North Central Chapter of the Risk Management Association. The competition began with a kick-off meeting on March 19, 2024, and culminated with oral presentations at the Gate City Bank Swiontek Center in Fargo, N.D. on April 18, 2024.
Mayville State students Logan Maus, Thompson, N.D.; Brennen Beaudin, Northwood, N.D.; Miriam Carignan, Walhalla, N.D.; and Lauren Wolfgram, Thompson, N.D., comprised the Mayville State team. They were assisted by team mentor Tom Capouch with First State Bank, a 1984 graduate of Mayville State and member of the Mayville State University Foundation board.
Students majoring in finance and business with an interest in learning about commercial banking participated, and included 28 individuals who were a part of eight teams representing Mayville State University, the University of Manitoba, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Minot State University, the University of North Dakota, and North Dakota State University.
Students were provided with a case involving a commercial loan request from a mock borrower, TaTonka Brewing, Inc. Each team was asked to consider that company’s request for assistance in expanding their core business with new equipment purchases and in the purchase of their real estate which had been rented. TaTonka’s financial position, including good working capital, moderate leverage, and satisfactory debt service coverage would all be threatened by the new debt and projected revenue growth.
The teams were provided with financial information on the company, a lender/borrower dialogue transcript, and industry resources to assist with their decision. Each team was paired with a mentor from their local banking community to assist with industry-specific questions and provide guidance.
They prepared a written loan presentation that included a thorough analysis of the company, the industry, and key components of the loan request comprised of proposed loan terms, and an appropriate structure containing financial and reporting covenants. For the grand finale of the competition, each group presented their solutions orally to a panel of judges made up of four local lending professionals.
Mayville State placed sixth in the competition. The top two teams were from the University of Manitoba.
“I’m very proud of our students for putting in the hours of effort required for this competition,” said their advisor Dustin Olson, Mayville State Professor of Business. “They did a great job applying their skills outside the classroom."
Sponsors of the competition were American Federal Bank, Aspire Financial, BankNorth, Bank Forward, Bell Bank, the Bank of North Dakota, Border Bank, Brady Martz, Bremer Bank, Choice Bank, CornerStone Bank, Dacotah Bank, First Interstate Bank, First United Bank, First Western Bank & Trust, Gate City Bank, Starion Bank, and Western State Bank.