Samantha Mosser was in her final semester at Nebraska Wesleyan University when she made a decision that altered the course of her professional life.   

Mosser had been taking business and science classes to prepare for attending dental school. She had been a dental assistant one summer and had talked with professors at the dental school she planned to attend.

After one conversation, Mosser said she began wondering whether she would be content doing the same thing every day. “I knew every patient would be different but looking at teeth every day, I didn’t think I could do that,” said Mosser, 48, who became president of Bankers Trust on Aug. 1.

Mosser dropped the science courses, and completed her undergraduate studies with a major in business administration and a minor in public relations. She had two job offers after college, one from Union Pacific and the other with First National Bank of Omaha. The job with Union Pacific would have required her to relocate to Houston.

“I did not want to move to Houston so I went into banking,” said Mosser, who began her banking career in residential mortgage, first as a processor and then as a mortgage loan originator.

Her decision was validated when she helped a 50-year-old man obtain a loan to buy his first home. The man had some blemishes in his financial history that made getting a loan difficult, Mosser said.

“Helping him through that process and then seeing him in tears at the closing table, it was just an amazing experience helping him reach his lifelong goal of owning a house,” she said. “What drew me into banking is helping people achieve their dreams.”  

Mosser worked at First National Bank of Omaha for over three years before joining Union Bank & Trust where she worked for 18 years in progressive roles, eventually as Omaha president. During her time at Union Bank & Trust, Mosser said she had several opportunities to work with Bankers Trust on deals that involved the two financial institutions.

About four years ago, Bankers Trust officials reached out to Mosser and asked if she was interested in helping the financial institution grow its footprint in the Omaha market.

“They knew I had the background to assist with achieving this goal,” she said. When Mosser joined Bankers Trust’s team in Omaha, the group of four worked in leased space. A team of about 25 now work in a new two-story, 20,000-square-foot building that includes walk-up and drive-thru banking services. The new bank office, which includes commercial and retail services, opened in early 2025.

“One of the messages we are sending to Omaha is that Bankers Trust is a large, strong financial institution with a lot of products and services, and that hopefully, we can meet all of your needs,” Mosser said.

Mosser is now turning her attention to growing the entire Bankers Trust company, which was founded in 1917 and is Iowa’s largest privately held community bank. The Des Moines-based financial institution, with 652 employees, has 19 branches in Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona as well as an affiliate trust office in South Dakota.

The bank, with nearly 70,000 consumer accounts, has total assets of about $7.5 billion and deposits of $5.63 billion.

“We have a strong, strong foundation on which to build and grow,” Mosser said. 

We recently caught up with Mosser and talked with her about her new role. The Q&A has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What would you say your strengths are?

Hiring talented people. As I became a leader, the most important part is hiring the best and the brightest and then getting them the resources they need to be successful.

What is your strategy for hiring the best and the brightest?

I’ve always stayed just as close to my competitors as I have my own staff, because you never know what opportunities are going to present themselves. You need to keep those connections and make sure you know who in the market would be a good fit for the organization. Those are the people that you always stay in touch with.

[Mosser provided Jason Gustafson as an example of a person she met at an Omaha chamber of commerce event. Gustafson was receiving the chamber’s volunteer of the year award.]  I didn’t know much about him other than he was a tremendous volunteer. When we were at the same events, I made a point of talking with him and getting to know him better. When we had an opportunity at Bankers Trust, I called him and told him that I thought he’d be a perfect fit with us. It happened to be the right time in his career to make a move. [Gustafson, who joined Bankers Trust in August 2023, is vice president, commercial relationship manager.]

Bankers Trust’s branch office in Omaha includes a community room. Why was that important to include?

Bankers Trust’s goal was to be a billion-dollar bank in five to seven years in that market. To do that, we knew we needed name recognition. We built a building on Dodge Street, the main corridor through Omaha, and we put three very large signs on Dodge. There’s intrinsic value in that. But we also wanted to bring people from the community in to see us, to experience our culture and to experience our team and to show that we give back to the community. On a wall, we have framed pictures of the logos of the top 25 nonprofits that we support in the Omaha market. We also have a large history wall. So, when you walk to our community room, you go by that history wall. Bankers Trust has such a wonderful story to tell and we wanted to bring people in so that we could tell that story. It was an investment we made, and the community room has been very successful in getting people into the building. Typically, when we have people in, they’ll allow us just a couple of minutes at the beginning of each of their meetings to explain who we are and to make sure they know why we’re doing what we’re doing in the community. Since the bank opened in its new location, 55 community events have been held in the community room.

You’ve been in banking 27 years. How has the industry changed?

The biggest changes have been with technology. When I started in banking as a management trainee, we had to share a computer. The internet and email were new technologies. Now consumers have a bank in their hand with mobile and online banking.     

Our highest risks now are cybersecurity. The bad guys are always constantly evolving, so you always have to try and stay in front of them. Those are the things that keep me up at night.  

How is artificial intelligence being used?

We have some tools that we use internally, like for fraud detection – looking at “is this an unusual transaction for people?” Some people call it AI; some call it predictive analytics. There’s lots of different terms, but we’re using some of it already, and I do see over time that it will be used more and more.. We have an entire group now that’s focused on how we can create those efficiencies, but in a safe and sound manner.

What did you learn in your role as Bankers Trust’s Nebraska market president that you’ll lean into as you lead the entire company? 

I learned the importance of listening closely to both clients and employees. Every market has its own unique needs, but the common thread is that people want to feel valued, supported and understood. Leading at the local level taught me how critical it is to stay close to the front lines, to really understand what drives success for our clients and our teams. That perspective will guide me as I lead the entire company — keeping us client-focused, empowering our people and making sure our culture of service and excellence continues to grow no matter how large we become. 

What advice have you received that is helping you move into your new role? 

Don Coffin, [CEO of Bankers Trust], has provided the best advice, which is to stay true to what got me here – listening, learning and leading with humility. Don is a great example of all of these qualities and leads with such grace. Several mentors have reminded me to not feel pressured to have all of the answers on day one, but instead to lean on the strengths of the talented team around me.   

What do you believe is the main role of a bank president?  

My main role is to listen, learn and build relationships both internally and externally. Going forward, my main role will be to set a clear vision and direction for the company while making sure our teams have the resources and support they need to succeed. At the heart of it, I see my job as keeping us focused on clients, ensuring every decision we make strengthens those relationships, while also fostering a culture where our people can thrive and grow. If we take care of our clients and employees, the financial results will follow. 

What does your typical day look like?

There’s a lot of listening, learning and building relationships. That’s my focus, both internally and externally. I want to get immersed in the community so I’m meeting with a lot of community members. I’m meeting with clients and a lot of team members.

What have you learned or has caught your attention?

Everyone always has commented on “Iowa nice.” Before I came here, I would reply “People say Nebraska nice, too.” Now I say “Iowa nice” is over the top. It’s amazing. Everyone I’ve met has been great. They ask “Who can I introduce you to? How can I help you?” I’ve been meeting with clients and they always tell me how long they’ve been with Bankers Trust. Recently, one client told me that they’ve been with us since 1947. I feel like there’s a lot of pride in telling me that, which gives me a lot of pride to work here.

What do you do in your spare time?

Our three sons are very involved in sports, so in my spare time I’m typically in a gym or at a ballfield. I’ve had the opportunity to follow them all around the country watching them compete. I also enjoy reading and spending time at our lake home.

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At a glance

Lives: In Urbandale

Family: Husband, Mitch, and three sons: Neal, Major and Maddux

Education: Bachelor of arts degree in business administration, Nebraska Wesleyan University (1998) and master’s degree in business administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha (2002)

Work background: Officer, First National Bank of Omaha, 1998 to 2002; Union Bank & Trust, 2002 to 2020; president and board member, ACCESSbank, Omaha, 2020 to 2021; and Nebraska president, Bankers Trust, 2022 to 2025. Became president of Bankers Trust on Aug. 1.

Boards serves on: Lamp Rynearson, a consulting firm that provides engineering, surveying, landscape architecture and planning services in the Midwest and Colorado; Association of Corporate Growth Nebraska; National Association of Corporate Directors Heartland Board; and Business Ethics Alliance, of which she is the trustee chair.

Other activities: Spending time with family

Contact: smosser@bankerstrust.com