Kim Nesbitt
For bankers looking to stay informed on financial crimes and fraud trends, involvement and collaboration are more important than ever. As vice president of bank operations at First National Bank of River Falls and chair of the WBA Financial Crimes Committee, Kim Nesbitt understands firsthand the value of building industry connections and sharing knowledge to combat emerging risks.
Nesbitt’s involvement with the WBA began with a simple goal: learning from peers and expanding her professional network.
“I joined the Financial Crimes Committee in 2022 to network and learn,” she says. “The knowledge I’ve gained and the relationships I’ve built have been incredibly valuable and continue to be a tremendous resource.”
Those connections have become increasingly important as the banking industry faces a rapidly changing fraud landscape.
According to Nesbitt, one issue every banker should keep top of mind is the speed at which fraud is evolving. While fraud has always been a part of banking, advances in technology and artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities for criminals and making scams more difficult to detect.
“We’re seeing more sophisticated scams, social engineering, account takeovers, and impersonation attempts that can be very convincing to both customers and employees,” she explains.
What makes today’s threats particularly challenging is that fraud is no longer just a financial concern. It has become an operational risk and a customer trust issue as well. Banks must continually evaluate how to strengthen controls and leverage technology to identify suspicious activity earlier, while also maintaining a positive customer experience.
“The challenge is finding that balance between making banking easy for our customers while making it difficult for fraudsters,” Nesbitt says.
Outside of her leadership role in banking, Nesbitt’s first experience in the workforce was far from financial services.
“My very first job was working at Dairy Queen,” she shares.
And while banking has proven to be a rewarding career path, Nesbitt says she has always been intrigued by another profession.
“If I hadn’t gone into banking, I’d love to be in the medical field, probably as an OB nurse.”
When she’s not thinking about fraud prevention and bank operations, Nesbitt points to a local favorite as one of Wisconsin’s hidden gems: First National Bank of River Falls Field.
“The atmosphere at the stadium is one of the great places to catch an amateur, college, high school, or youth baseball or softball game,” she says.
For fellow bankers looking for entertainment that also highlights the real-world consequences of fraud, Nesbitt recommends the action thriller The Beekeeper.
“While it’s an action movie, the story centers around financial fraud and the devastating impact scams can have on people,” she notes. “It reinforces how important fraud prevention, customer education, and protecting vulnerable customers have become in our industry.”
Whether she’s collaborating with committee members, monitoring emerging fraud trends, or helping her institution navigate an increasingly complex risk environment, Nesbitt remains focused on one of banking’s most important responsibilities: protecting customers.
Her advice serves as a reminder that while fraud tactics may continue to evolve, strong industry partnerships, ongoing education, and a commitment to customer protection remain some of the most effective tools banks have in their arsenal.
