CoBank and U.S. AgBank executed a Letter of Intent to merge in December 2010. The merged bank will continue to do business under the CoBank name and be headquartered in Colorado but will maintain U.S. AgBank's existing presence and operations in Wichita, Kansas, and Sacramento, California. It will also continue to be organized and operate as a cooperative, with eligible borrowers earning cash and equity patronage based on the amount of business they do with the organization. Robert B. Engel, CoBank's president & chief executive officer, will remain as the chief executive of the combined entity. Darryl W. Rhodes, president & chief executive officer of U.S. AgBank, will retire in connection with the merger.
The Farm Credit Administration has already granted preliminary approval to the transaction. Final approval from the FCA is expected following a statutorily required 35-day reconsideration period.
About U.S. AgBank
U.S. AgBank provides loan funds and financial services to Agricultural Credit Associations (ACAs), Federal Land Credit Associations (FLCAs), and other financing institutions across 11 states. Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, the bank has approximately $25 billion in total assets. Through its associations, the bank supports the credit and financial services needs of farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers throughout its lending territory. For more information about U.S. AgBank, visit the bank's web site at
www.usagbank.com.
About CoBank
CoBank is a $66 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. In addition to serving its direct retail borrowers, the bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations and other partners across the country. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore. For more information about CoBank, visit the bank's web site at
www.cobank.com.
About Farm Credit
U.S. AgBank and CoBank are members of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture and the nation's rural economy. For more information about the Farm Credit System, visit
www.farmcredit.com.