Maple Lake, MN — October 28, 2025 — Star Bank has been named one of the nation’s most extraordinary banks by The Institute for Extraordinary Banking™.
The bank was honored with the prestigious Banky™ Award, a national recognition reserved for the strongest community banks that consistently deliver extraordinary impact. This award helps individuals and businesses identify the very best banks committed to serving and strengthening their local communities.
Star Bank has been honored with this national award twice, most recently in October 2024.
Star Bank’s President/CEO, Katie Wahlquist, says, “Star Bank’s footprint extends from the Twin Cities into Central Minnesota and deep into the West Central area. We are growing with the needs of our communities. Banking locally is incredibly important in today’s economy. It is a great honor to be recognized nationally for the service that we provide along with the ways that our employees give back through volunteerism and philanthropy.”
The Extraordinary Banking™ Awards celebrate the essential role community banks play in fueling small business growth, elevating local economies, and weaving themselves deeply into the fabric of the communities they serve.
“Community banks recognize the aspirations, dreams, and silent hopes of small businesses and families,” said Roxanne Emmerich, Chair and Founder of The Institute for Extraordinary Banking™. “The heart and soul of an extraordinary bank is its visionary blueprint for its community’s success—and its commitment to making that vision real. This year’s honorees, our Top 5 Percenters™, embody that standard of excellence.”
For interviews or more information, please contact Alissa Sandholm using the contact us link below during regular business hours. Photos from the award ceremony are available at ExtraordinaryBanking.com/2025-Banky-Awards-Winners/.
About the Institute for Extraordinary Banking™
The Institute for Extraordinary Banking™ exists to highlight and celebrate the vital role community banks play in our nation’s economy. Through its annual Extraordinary Banking™ Awards, the Institute shines a spotlight on the best-of-the-best—banks that are not only financial institutions, but also engines of philanthropy, innovation, and community prosperity.