2015 NorthWestern Financial Review magazine Outstanding Women in Banking: Val Fick

Using her own initiative and tenacious work ethic, Val Fick has climbed from secretary to mortgage lender at Security State Bank, Fergus Falls, Minn..Fick, vice president at the $131 million bank, is one of six women honored by NorthWestern Financial Review as a 2015 Outstanding Woman in Banking..When former Security State Bank president Mark Olson arrived at the bank in 1976, Fick had been a secretary since joining the bank eight years earlier — a secretary who used her lunch hour to learn how to work the proofing machine and the teller line. "Two things were clear to me: one was she had more ability than the bank was using; No. 2 was she had a tremendous work ethic. She had the capacity to take on more than she was currently doing," said Olson, who has also served on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System..Olson put that untapped potential to work by tasking Fick with updating the bank's mortgage lending model. Previously, the one-office Security State Bank had only made portfolio loans. Facing pressure from the high-rate environment, the bank began selling into the secondary market and Fick was responsible for ensuring lending criteria were up to snuff for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "It was one of the main initiatives that helped the bank grow over the years as it has. She takes credit for a lot of that," Olson said. "Every step, she's earned her stripes.".Fick was also a lynchpin in making sure the bank ran smoothly throughout Olson's absences during his tenure as 1986-87 chair of the American Bankers Association, sitting on multiple committees for different areas of the bank..After Olson left Security State Bank in 1988, Fick began specializing in mortgage lending. Her care for her customers throughout the lending process has been a hallmark of her work, along with her dedication to making good loans. It is not unusual for her to show up early at the bank so a customer can sign documents before they head to work.."Val's name has always been at the top of the list as a mortgage banker in this area. She always goes the extra mile for her customers," said Scott Debrito, executive vice president at Security State Bank. "One of the things that really impressed me is her care for her customers and her co-workers. She takes her job personally and takes every customer transaction that she's involved with personally.".As a longtime mortgage lender, Fick has consistently adapted to new regulations and paperwork requirements. She has kept a good attitude about the changes throughout, taking the task to heart for the sake of her customers. "You just keep digging and finding another piece of the puzzle and the sense of accomplishment from getting a couple into their first house is amazing," Fick said..Through her work with the bank's marketing committee, Fick was key in getting the bank's Security Partners program — a social and travel club for older customers — off the ground in the mid-1980s. The club helped grow bank deposits at a crucial time and, more than 30 years later, she is still coordinating events and trips for the program, including one overseas to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Austria, which is only performed every 10 years.."It's secondary to real estate lending," Fick said. "It is my relief from the stress of real estate lending requirements.".Fick plans to retire next summer, making it 47 years of banking before concentrating on volunteer work in her home town of Ashby, Minn.."When I came back from my two weeks of vacation this year, I thought 'I am so looking forward to this,'" she said. "I asked myself, 'Do I want to make it to 50 years?' and I thought, 'Nope, I'm ready to go now.'".Coworkers and customers alike agree that Fick has more than earned her retirement.Other 2015 Outstanding Women in Banking include:Edie Tholo, Bankers' Bank, Madison, Wis.Debbie Maw, HomeStar Bank & Financial Services, Manteno, Ill.Deb Otto, Beacon Bank, Duluth, Minn.Kris Holoch, Cornerstone Bank, York, Neb.Kristina Schaefer, Fishback Financial Corp., Brookings, S.D.