Marshall & Ilsley (M&I) marshals the material means for managing money. The holding company owns flagship subsidiary M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank, M&I Bank, and Southwest Bank, which have more than 275 bank branches in the Midwest, plus some 90 more in Arizona, Florida, and Las Vegas. It is the largest bank in Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and St. Louis are other key markets. Focusing on retail and commercial banking and wealth management, M&I offers standard services such as deposits, credit cards, mortgages, and business and consumer loans, as well as trust, financial advisory, private banking, mutual funds, and brokerage services. Bank of Montreal is buying M&I for some $4.1 billion.

MB Financial doesn't stand for "Midsized Businesses," even though that's its target market. The holding company for MB Financial Bank has more than 85 branches in the Chicago area and one in Philadelphia. Commercial-related credits, including real estate mortgages, operating loans, lease financings, and construction loans, make up more than 80% of the bank's loan portfolio. In addition to serving small and middle-market companies, MB Financial provides retail banking and lending to consumers. The company also offers investment management and trust services.

Mercantile Bancorp, Inc. company has six wholly owned bank subsidiaries in Florida, Illinois, and Missouri (the largest is Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank based in Quincy, Illinois), and a majority-owned bank subsidiary in Kansas. With a total of more than 25 offices, the community-oriented banks offer deposit and loan products, asset management, retail brokerage services, and agricultural business management. The majority of the company's loan portfolio is related to real estate, including farmland, construction, and commercial and residential mortgage loans.

Mercantile Bank Corporation is the holding company for Mercantile Bank of Michigan (formerly Mercantile Bank of West Michigan), which operates more than five branches in and around Grand Rapids, Holland, and Lansing. (The latter was the community bank's first foray outside the western part of Michigan, prompting the name change in 2005.) The bank targets local consumers and businesses, offering standard deposit services such as checking and savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, and health savings accounts. Loans for real estate secured by nonresidential properties make up more than half of the company's loan portfolio; business loans are about a quarter.

Mid-Wisconsin Financial Services likes to stay in the middle of all things financial in the Badger State. The institution is the holding company for Mid-Wisconsin Bank, which offers traditional time deposit and lending services from some 15 branches in central and northern Wisconsin. The bank also provides wealth management services including administration of pension and profit sharing plans, personal trusts, and estates, as well as securities and annuities brokerage. Commercial and residential mortgages each account for about a third of the company's loan portfolio; other offerings include business, construction, and agricultural loans. Mid-Wisconsin Bank was incorporated in 1890.

Monarch Community Bancorp emerged from its chrysalis in 2002 when it was organized to be the holding company for Monarch Community Bank (formerly Branch County Federal Savings and Loan Association). The bank operates more than five branches in southern Michigan's Branch, Calhoun, and Hillsdale counties. Its lending activities mainly consist of one- to four-family residential mortgages (about half of its loan portfolio), commercial mortgages, and home equity loans. To fund its lending, the bank offers such deposit products as checking, savings, and money market accounts, CDs, and IRAs. It provides insurance, mutual funds, annuities, and financial planning services through an agreement with Prudential Financial.

MutualFirst Financial is the holding company for MutualFirst Bank, which has more than 30 financial centers and trust offices in northern Indiana and a loan production office in southern Michigan. The bank offers standard products and services such as checking and savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, and credit cards. More than 40% of the company's loan portfolio is devoted to residential mortgages. Consumer loans, including auto, boat, RV home equity, and home improvement loans, account for about 25%. Business loans also make up about a quarter of the MutualFirst's loan portfolio.

Northern Star Financial is the holding company for Northern Star Bank, which has two offices in Mankato and St. Cloud, Minnesota. Serving local consumers and small and midsized businesses, the bank offers standard deposit services, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs, and IRAs. Real estate loans, including single-family residential, multifamily residential, commercial mortgage, construction, and land development loans, account for most of the company's portfolio. To a lesser extent, the bank makes business, consumer, municipal, and farm loans.

Northern States Financial is the holding company for NorStates Bank, which serves individuals and businesses in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin through around 10 branches. It provides retail services like savings, checking, money market accounts, CDs, and IRAs. The company uses deposits to originate commercial mortgages (accounting for about half of its portfolio) as well as residential mortgages, commercial loans, construction loans, and consumer loans. NorStates Bank was founded in 2005 when Northern States merged its Bank of Waukegan and First State Bank of Round Lake (founded in 1949 and acquired in 2004) subsidiaries.

Northern Trust Corporation has been working hard to keep clients' trusts. Flagship subsidiary The Northern Trust Company and other units bearing the Northern Trust name provide banking and trust services to the affluent and to financial institutions and corporations from 85 offices in nearly 20 states and about a dozen countries. Operating in two segments, Corporate and Institutional Services and Personal Financial Services, the corporation is a leading personal trust manager in the US, in addition to specializing in master trust services and catering to corporate pension plans and institutional clients.

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