From the Illinois Bankers Association:
Illinois Bankers Association CEO Randy Hultgren has informed his board of directors he will be retiring from the helm of the statewide business group at the end of the 2026 Spring legislative session.
“The IBA is in strong financial shape. We’ve had record participation in recent conferences and we’re coming off legislative and legal wins to protect our members and their customers,” Hultgren said.
“We’ve united as an industry to battle the ill-conceived Interchange Fee Prohibition Act that would cause financial losses to Illinois small businesses, hurt consumers and make Illinois banks an outlier in the nation’s banking system.
“We’ve invested in programs to build talented future leaders for the banking industry; and our organization helped draft the “Access to Credit in Rural Economies Act” which made it into federal law this year and will make it easier for farmers and rural homeowners to access low-cost credit. […]
The Board of Directors says a search will begin immediately to succeed Hultgren.
“While we would have preferred Randy stay, we respect his decision to step down next year and we’re thankful for his accomplishments on behalf of Illinois bankers.
He has led the IBA through a period of unprecedented success and his legislative expertise as a former state and federal lawmaker made us the most effective voice for banks in Springfield, Washington, D.C. and Chicago,” said IBA Board Chair T.J. Burge, president and CEO of the Community Partners Savings Bank in Salem, Illinois.
“We’re grateful for the time Randy is committing to our search process, participating in the spring legislative session in Springfield and helping the next leader transition into office. Randy’s successor will have big shoes to fill.”
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Hultgren was defeated by Democrat Lauren Underwood in 2018.
