Blog

Amy Appelquist

With 6 years of banking experience as well as 20 plus years of Agriculture experience, I am a Commercial/Ag Lender here at Sterling Federal.  I was born and raised in the Sauk Valley area. I have raised my family here and I am now enjoying my grandchildren and watching them ...read more

Diane Metzler

With 18 years of lending experience, I have the ability to make the lending process a positive experience. I have been a lifelong resident of the Sauk Valley Area making it my home, raising my family and now enjoy spending time with my grandchildren. I think the Sauk Valley Area is ...read more

Mike Smith

I have 32 years in management, 22 years of those in banking.  I know how to uncover the needs of the area's business clients with the professional and personal touch you come to expect from your local bank. I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Augustana College in Rock ...read more

Tygen Bausman

I have 15 years of banking experience here at Sterling Federal Bank, with 7 years in the Commercial Banking field. Most recently I held the position of Sr. Cash Management Specialist where I was given the opportunity to help local businesses with their deposit account needs. In this position is ...read more

Laura Cary

Laura grew up in Hillsdale, Illinois and assisted on the family farm growing up. She was active in FFA at Riverdale Senior High School and held the title of Vice-President her Senior Year. She attended the University of Wisconsin- Platteville and became an Agriculture Loan Officer in Spring of 2018. ...read more

Melissa Freas

I am a lifelong Sterling resident who has experience in both mortgage and consumer lending. I have over 12 years in the banking industry and 19 years’ experience in the financial industry. I take pride in educating my customers about their loan options and making sure that they have a stress-free home ...read more

Natalie Cole

I am a lifelong Dixon resident who has a varied background in banking with experience in mortgage and consumer lending. I have over 13 years in the banking industry and over 19 years of expertise in the real estate industry. During the real estate course of my career, I have worked with ...read more

Crystal Ocampo

I am a lifelong resident of the Sauk Valley area and have been with Sterling Federal Bank since 2009. I graduated from Dixon High School and earned my Associates Degree in Applied Science from Sauk Valley Community College.  I have over 14 years of experience in various areas of the ...read more

Crystal Wagener

I'm a lifelong resident of Clinton County, Iowa with over nine years in the banking industry. I have a wide range of knowledge in multiple areas of finance and lending. I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Kaplan University.  My main goal as a lender ...read more

Angela Perna

Angela was born and raised in Rock Falls with her 3 sisters. She has raised 2 children in the community and now spends her free time with her 2 grandchildren. Angela graduated from Newman Central Catholic High School and earned her Associates Degree in Applied Science from Sauk Valley Community ...read more