I have been in Rapid City, South Dakota for three days and so has Al Neuharth. The founder of USA Today has been addressing some Dakota bankers and he has some observations why no bank in the Dakotas has failed during the recent financial crisis.

He says it is because “…they know their customers. They lend money only to people they are sure will be able to pay it back.” He quotes a local bank president who says, “It’s important for the public to understand that there are two sets of banks in this country: Those that are healthy, and those that are not.”

What if all the big banks were run the way small town banks on Main Street are run? Hmmmmm!