Bell State Bank & Trust

Bell State Bank & Trust, with assets over $2.6 billion, is the largest privately owned bank in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. Member FDIC - Equal Housing Lender

Company History:

Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, Bell State Bank & Trust was chartered in 1966. Bell State Bank & Trust is an award winning bank with 19 full-service bank locations in Fargo, West Fargo and Wahpeton, North Dakota, and Alexandria, Audubon, Breckenridge, Detroit Lakes, Dilworth, Fergus Falls, Hawley, Minneapolis, Moorhead, and Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. We also have trust offices in Bismarck and Boise, Idaho. We are proud to be a part of the growth of the communities we serve!

Majority stockholders, the late Thomas “Mickey” Snortland, his sister Laura Snortland Fairfield, and Richard Solberg, along with some 80 other shareholders living mostly in the Midwest, have always been committed to the bank’s employees and the communities they serve. The Snortlands are a successful farm family from Sharon, North Dakota. They have been involved with the bank since its beginning with one small north Fargo location. Solberg, a hometown banker from Finley, North Dakota, joined Bell State Bank & Trust as its president in 1982. He has helped steer the organization by serving people from all walks of life and all income levels.

In 2009, Bell State Bank & Trust’s board of directors named Michael Solberg president; his father, Richard, continues as CEO and board chairman. Mike has also served as the bank’s chief operating officer since 2004, with oversight of day-to-day operations. Bell State Bank & Trust is well positioned to maintain our strong growth well into the future, for both our bank, divisions and affiliate companies.

On January 1, 2011, the bank purchased Bell Mortgage, a respected Twin Cities mortgage company with a 130-year history. Bell Mortgage dates back to 1858, when David C. Bell made Minneapolis home. Soon he co-founded a mortgage company under his name: David C. Bell Investment Company. The business Bell began not only employed numerous Minnesotans, it also brought a significant amount of money and development into the area. Perhaps that is why Mr. Bell is referred to not only as an entrepreneur, but also as one of the Twin Cities’ founding fathers.

The David C. Bell Company continued to flourish, weathering The Great Depression, two World Wars and embracing nearly 100 years of local development before its purchase in 1980 by Gary Kirt. He continued to grow Bell Mortgage’s successful blend of service and technology and remains president of today’s Bell Mortgage Division. We borrowed the “Bell” name for our company as a whole to provide us with a more unique identity; with its long history, it is a perfect fit for the bank’s reputation and culture.

Considering themselves stewards of the bank, the owners, along with our board of directors, value our employees, who are treated like family and whose dedication and loyalty are generously rewarded. A reputation as a “great place to work” has helped Bell State Bank & Trust recruit, hire and retain enthusiastic employees, who provide unequaled personal service to each customer.

Member FDIC - Equal Housing Lender (We lend without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex handicap or familial status)