Press Release – For Immediate Release

CONTACT: McKaela Laxen at (952) 835-2275 or McKaela@NFRcom.com

Minneapolis, August 21, 2018 — Beginning with its September 2018 issue, NorthWestern Financial Review
magazine will adopt the name BankBeat.

This event completes a branding transition which began earlier this year when the publication relaunched
its website as BankBeat.biz — now the premier source for timely or breaking community bank news.
BankBeat.biz is the perfect complement to a monthly print magazine that provides in-depth articles that
analyze and inform the most important tends, topics and issues facing commercial banking in the central
and western United States.

NorthWestern Financial Review came into being in 1988 through the merger of two long-standing
publications – Northwestern Banker (est. 1894) and Commercial West (est. 1901). “Proud of a heritage that
reached back more a century, the name NorthWestern Financial Review was a tip-of-the-hat to our legacy
and the bankers who made such an impressive history possible,” said Publisher Tom Bengtson. “Today,
we are looking ahead.”

“The opportunity to rebrand is about expressing our hopeful future as we and our readers navigate the
challenges and anticipate the trends that are transforming commercial banking,” said Editor-in-Chief
Jacqueline Nasseff Hilgert. “Furthermore, the name change signals the magazine’s renewed commitment
to people who work in banking. When something is alive, it has a beat, and we believe banking is very
much alive.”

The BankBeat name was first introduced in 2010 when NorthWestern Financial Review launched its Twitter
feed using the handle @BankBeat. BankBeat is active on social platforms and enjoys strong reader
engagement. In addition to its print magazine and online news platform, it delivers news and industry
updates through geographically targeted E-newsletters.

BankBeat is published by Minneapolis-based NFR Communications Inc. Additionally, the company
produces the CFPBJournal.com, which covers the activities of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
and BankBeatData.com, a subscription service that tracks bank performance and acquisition data.
NFR Communications also provides management services to the Bank Holding Company Association.