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As Native American Bank nears 25 years, outgoing Board Chairman Kent Paul looks back on the tribally-owned bank's growth and mission.
Native American Bank (NAB) outgoing board chair Kent Paul says there’s a lot the financial institution can be proud of as it approaches its 25th birthday.
It’s not only that NAB is the only multi-tribally-owned community development bank in the country. Or that 96% of its loans are made to Native borrowers, including tribes, tribal enterprises, Alaska Native corporations (ANCs), villages and small business owners. It’s also the leadership role the bank has taken in supporting the tribal cannabis industry and the resources it invested in cybersecurity to protect customers and financial data.
“We’re ahead of the curve,” Paul says.
Paul would know. He’s been involved since Native American Bank launched in 2001 and officially became a board member in 2003. At the time, a variety of investors had come together with the idea of founding a new financial institution that would help fill the void after American Indian National Bank ceased operations more than a decade earlier. While some were skeptical, champions of the idea advocated for a new national lender that would be owned not by a single tribal nation, but collectively by multiple tribes and ANCs. Twenty tribal nations and Alaska Native corporations ultimately stepped up, and NAB was formed.
Paul was brought onto the board in part for his expertise in insurance and risk management. For 14 years, he was CEO of AMERIND Risk Management Corporation, the nation’s only 100% tribally-owned insurance carrier.
The nascent NAB bought its charter from Blackfeet Nation, which was closing down its own bank. Next came the challenge of raising capital. Paul recalled the early days of getting the bank organized, which involved marathon meetings lasting up to 12 hours.
Like most lenders, Native American Bank faced headwinds during the financial crisis of 2008. Paul, knowing that working in Indian Country was good business, stayed the course.
“The mission for creating economic independence and sustainability drove me,” he said.
Today, NAB is a nearly $400 million (assets) financial institution and has maintained the highest possible Community Reinvestment Act rating — “Outstanding” — since 2005
As a Native community development financial institution (CDFI), it’s in Native American Bank’s DNA to serve those who’ve historically been ignored by other financial institutions. Paul said the staff’s success in finding creative solutions and reducing the number of underbanked tribal members is a “beacon of light.”
In 2025, NAB opened its third retail location on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, north of Seattle. Paul said the Pacific Northwest presents significant opportunities to serve Native communities. He knows the region well, having graduated from Washington State University in eastern Washington. He and his wife still maintain a home in the Puget Sound region.
Now that he’s transitioned off the board he helped stand up, Paul said he expects to spend more time traveling and volunteering as a SCORE mentor working with new entrepreneurs.
And he may be available for a question or two from his old colleagues.
“If I had advice for the new board chair, I’d say: set the tone, hire the best, and get out of the way.”
Native American Bank is the country’s only multi-tribally owned community development bank, serving Tribal governments, Native-owned businesses and Native communities across Indian Country. Founded in 2001, the bank provides lending, banking and financial services designed to support economic development and long-term sustainability. Learn more.
DISCLOSURE: This article is sponsored content created by Native American Bank. It was created and published as part of a paid partnership and was not reported by the Tribal Business News editorial team.