Our History
Please allow me to introduce myself... My name is Dawn Skeie Crane and I am the Chief Executive Officer and majority owner of Ultima Bank Minnesota.
Once upon a time... in the small town of Winger, Minnesota, two banks were established: Farmers State Bank of Winger and First State Bank of Winger. Sometime thereafter, these banks merged and records show that Farmers State Bank was founded in 1904.
In 1976, my father, Arnie Skeie, was approached to purchase Farmers State Bank of Winger, a floundering bank in desperate need of rejuvenation. For pure love and a homespun respect for the town where he was born and grew up, he accepted the challenge. Fast forward to 1994, he took the daunting plunge to expand to Fosston, Minnesota, which we now consider to be our “flagship” branch. Shortly after establishing the Fosston location, and with an eye on growing further, the bank’s name was changed to Ultima Bank Minnesota.
Since the expansion to Fosston and a name change, Ultima Bank Minnesota has continued to expand to more locations to better serve our area's needs. While doing it slowly and methodically, we’ve since opened new branches in Plummer, Bemidji, East Grand Forks and Gary– equaling a total of six branches. Our charter bank still remains in small-town Winger, whose population fluctuates around the 200 mark. Ultima Bank takes great pride in this fact!
Today, the bank remains in the Arnie Skeie family with my sister, Lorri, and I as co-owners. Recently, my daughter Jourdan joined the bank, making it a third generation operation.
Your Local Bank.
Your Trusted Partner.
Turning transactions into relationships since 1904.
In short, our story is about a small, rural bank that believes in itself. We have been around for a long time and fully plan to be around for generations to come!
To learn more about who we are, we invite you to stop by any of our branches. We look forward to meeting you!
Regards,
Dawn Skeie Crane
Chief Executive Officer, Owner