The Golden Rule is the focus of the INB legal team: “treat others the way you want to be treated.”

“We try to be understanding and truly help customers with sensitive matters or significant problems. That’s what sets us apart from the bigger banks – we have the time and resources to talk to our customers and learn about their issues and how we can help,” says Josh Ishmael, SVP, General Counsel for INB.

Josh first started his career at the bank in 2013, and since then, INB has expanded into new markets outside of Springfield, including Bloomington, Champaign and St. Louis.

“As we continue to expand our footprint, the legal landscape has become more difficult, especially because we’re now involved in multiple states and jurisdictions. Closer attention to law is required,” Josh noted.

Because of increasing legal needs at INB, we have added new staff to the team over the last couple of years: Ashton Sheehan, assistant general counsel, and Stephanie Cisco, legal assistant, to join Josh to ensure compliance across all areas of the bank.

So what do attorneys do at a bank?

Our legal team handles a wide variety of responsibilities, including working with commercial lenders on loan documentation, reviewing and managing vendor contracts, account changes, estate needs, collections processes and much more.

Having in-house counsel has been a huge benefit to INB and our customers. 

“Before I started here, there were many attorneys used by different departments across the bank,” Josh recalls. “Today, our legal team is consistent and more familiar with the policies, procedures and compliance components. Because outside counsel needs time to review policies and documents, this results in more timely responses for customers when it comes to their contracts, loans and other legal matters.”

Ashton began with INB in November 2018 after spending spent four years in private practice working in family law. She gained valuable experience in transactional law and with sensitive client relationships, which has translated well to her work at INB.

“We always want to treat our customers with respect and dignity because we never know what their situations are,” Ashton says. “We try not to assume anything; we want to get to know their situation and figure out the best way to work with them. Then our customers feel heard, and they want to collaborate with us to work toward a solution.”

Faster decisions for your needs

INB relies on our legal counsel to implement our innovative products and systems faster, which helps us provide excellent customer service while we expand across different markets.

“We always strive to maintain our community bank feel while we grow. Community banks are known for quick responses without layers of red tape, and that’s our goal,” Josh says.

“As INB continues to look toward new products and innovation, our team is excited because we often play a role in that implementation as we review contracts and ensure the security of customer information. As our footprint grows, we provide value in all legal issues.”