HBT Financial, Inc. Announces Addition of Linda Koch as Director

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., July 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBT) (the “Company”), is pleased to announce the appointment of Linda Koch to the board of directors of HBT Financial, Inc. and its subsidiary, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, both headquartered in Bloomington, IL.

Ms. Koch served as President and CEO of Illinois Bankers Association from 2001 until her recent retirement in June of this year. She has a BA from the University of Illinois-Springfield in Legal Studies, and she earned the professional designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 2005, meeting requisite standards of experience and education in the field of association management.

She began her career in 1984 with the Illinois House of Representatives, where her responsibilities included staffing the banking committee and analyzing legislation for its impact on the banking industry. She joined the Illinois Bankers Association in January of 1989 as Assistant Director in the Government Relations Department. Koch was named Vice President and chief lobbyist of the association in 1991 and Senior Vice President in 1998. She served as President and CEO from 2001-2020.

As President and CEO, Koch was responsible for the leadership, strategy, and operational management of the Illinois Bankers Association. Koch also served as the official spokesperson on behalf of the Association and for expanding the positive role and influence of the Association and the Illinois financial services industry generally.

Koch was elected to the Board of the Bankers Club of Chicago in 2016 and currently serves as Vice President. She also volunteers with BankWork$, a workforce development program to help adults from underserved communities enter the financial services industry.

“We are looking forward to having Linda on our boards, where we can draw from her strength and solid reputation in the banking industry. Her experience will be an asset in setting the strategy for our company. We are fortunate to have her join us,” commented Fred Drake, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of HBT Financial, Inc.

About HBT Financial, Inc.

HBT Financial, Inc. is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois and is the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company and State Bank of Lincoln. The banks provide a comprehensive suite of business, commercial, wealth management and retail banking products and services to businesses, individuals, and municipal entities throughout Central and Northeastern Illinois through 64 branches. As of March 31, 2020, HBT had total assets of $3.2 billion, total loans of $2.1 billion and total deposits of $2.7 billion. HBT is a longstanding Central Illinois company, with banking roots that can be traced back 100 years.

CONTACT:
Matthew Keating
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(310) 622-8230