Merchants Bank hires seasoned executive as chief risk officer

Winona, Minn.-based Merchants Bank hired Julie Van Der Wilt as chief risk officer. .A senior vice president, Van Der Wilt replaced current CRO Cindy Adolph, who retired at the end of 2024. Van Der Wilt, who has more than a decade of experience in risk management, compliance and security, was previously risk manager at Clara City, Minn.-based Citizens Alliance Bank and a compliance and security executive for the Bank of Wisconsin Dells. .Greg Evans, president and CEO of the $2.6 billion bank, said Van Der Wilt's "impressive and diverse professional background will enrich our enterprise risk management programs and approach. The risk environment in which all community banks must navigate today continues to intensify. Managing our regulatory requirements in a balanced, effective and efficient manner will only become more important as we work to accomplish our strategic priorities." .Van Der Wilt has a Bachelor of Science in finance from St. Cloud State University, and an MBA in finance and international business along with a doctoral degree in business administration in finance and economics from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.