Get out and meet them. Get acquainted with tribal leaders. Understand the culture, the history, the religion. Be proactive marketers. Fourth, the staff of our banks in or near Indian country have to reflect the culture of the marketplace.
Banks have to commit to hire, train, and retain Indian staff in banks in or near Indian country.
In South Dakota, Montana, and Colorado, for instance, we have minority internship and recruiting programs targeted to American Indians. Of course, we've experienced some turnover as many of the bankers we train go back to work on the reservation, but that's an investment worth making as well. Fifth, bankers and Indian tribes have to commit to try to understand each other's laws and regulations. For example, in South Dakota, a Norwest lawyer we assigned to collections work is now president of the Tribal Law Association on the Rosebud reservation. In the same way, Native Americans need to take the time to understand how a bank works.