LODI, Calif., Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (OTCQX: FMCB ) announced today that Deborah Skinner, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, will be retiring effective December 31, 2024, after 24 years with Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California. The Company previously announced her intention to retire back on September 9, 2024. Ms. Skinner will remain with the Company through year-end to assist with the transition. "On behalf of the entire team at FMCB and the Board of Directors, I want to thank Debbie for her leadership and dedication to our company,” said Kent A. Steinwert, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of FMCB. "During her time with the Company, Debbie has been vital to the development and successful execution of our business operations and strategy. I also want to personally thank Debbie for being a trusted advisor to me and true business partner to our management team. We all wish her a happy and well-deserved retirement.” The Company also announced that Troy D. Harper will join the Company as its Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer effective December 9, 2024. Mr. Harper brings over 30 years of operational expertise in financial services to FMCB, including more than 20 years in commercial and retail banking. Prior to joining FMCB, he was Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Operations Officer for HomeStreet Bank, where he led deposit, loan, and treasury management operations, IT, corporate real estate, and security. His career experience includes additional banking and operational roles at the FDIC, Pierce Commercial Bank, CGI Group, and Deloitte Consulting. He received a B.S. in finance and accounting management from Northeastern University. Mr. Harper will work closely with Ms. Skinner until her retirement at year-end to ensure a seamless transition. "As we continue to expand our organization, it's important that we add highly accomplished, talented, and experienced people to our executive leadership team. Troy brings a depth and breadth of operations and IT experience to the Company that will enrich the management team, while enabling us to execute successfully on our objectives in 2025 and beyond,” stated Mr. Steinwert. About Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, trades on the OTCQX under the symbol FMCB, and is the parent company of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California, also known as F&M Bank. Founded in 1916, F&M Bank is a locally owned and operated community bank, which proudly serves California through 33 convenient locations. F&M Bank is financially strong, with $5.4 billion in assets, and is consistently recognized as one of the nation's safest banks by national bank rating firms. The Bank has maintained a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial for 34 consecutive years, longer than any other commercial bank in the State of California. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has paid dividends for 89 consecutive years and has increased dividends for 59 consecutive years. As a result, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp is a member of a select group of only 56 publicly traded companies referred to as "Dividend Kings,” and is ranked 17 th in that group based on consecutive years of dividend increases. A "Dividend King” is a stock with 50 or more consecutive years of dividend increase. In August 2024, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp was named by Bank Director's Magazine as the #2 best performing bank in the nation across all asset categories in their annual "Ranking Banking” study of the top performing banks for 2023. Last year the Bank was named by Bank Director's Magazine as the #1 best performing bank in the nation across all asset categories in their annual "Ranking Banking” study of the top performing banks for 2022. In April 2024, F&M Bank was ranked 6 th on Forbes Magazine's list of "America's Best Banks" in 2023. Forbes' annual "America's Best Banks” list looks at ten metrics measuring growth, credit quality, profitability, and capital for the 2023 calendar year, as well as stock performance in the 12 months through March 18, 2024. In December 2023, F&M Bank was ranked 4 th on S&P Global Market Intelligence's "Top 50 List of Best-Performing Community Banks” in the US with assets between $3.0 billion and $10.0 billion for 2023. S&P Global Market Intelligence ranks financial institutions based on several key factors including financial returns, growth, and balance sheet risk profile. In October 2021, F&M Bank was named the "Best Community Bank in California” by Newsweek magazine. Newsweek's ranking recognizes those financial institutions that best serve their customers' needs in each state. This recognition speaks to the superior customer service the F&M Bank team members provide to its clients. F&M Bank is the 15 th largest bank lender to agriculture in the United States. F&M Bank operates in the mid-Central Valley of California, including Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Merced counties and the east region of the San Francisco Bay Area, including Napa, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. F&M Bank was inducted into the National Agriculture Science Center's "Ag Hall of Fame” at the end of 2021 for providing resources, financial advice, guidance, and support to the agribusiness communities as well as to students in the next generation of agribusiness workforce. F&M Bank is dedicated to helping California remain the premier agricultural region in the world and will continue to work with the next generation of farmers, ranchers, and processors. F&M Bank remains committed to servicing the needs of agribusiness in California as has been the case since its founding over 108 years ago. F&M Bank offers a full complement of loan, deposit, equipment leasing and treasury management products to businesses, as well as a full suite of consumer banking products. The FDIC awarded F&M Bank the highest possible rating of "Outstanding" in their last Community Reinvestment Act ("CRA”) evaluation. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations regarding the Company's financial performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include the words "believe,” "expect,” "intend,” "estimate” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will,” "would,” "should,” "could” or "may.” Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding management team changes and their anticipated impact on the Company, and the Company's expansion and its ability to execute on strategic objectives. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control, and which could cause future events or results to be materially different from those stated or implied in this document. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the risk factors and other important factors detailed in the Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs, and various other securities law filings made periodically by the Company, copies of which are available from the Company's website. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. For more information about Farmers & Merchants Bancorp and F&M Bank, visit fmbonline.com. Investor Relations Contact Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Bart R. Olson Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Phone: 209-367-2485 [email protected]US stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of tradingfb777 online casino 。

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NoneBEIJING , Dec. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At the end of 2024, we take a look back at the Chinese economy's performance this year. China's domestic GDP grew by 5.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, 4.7 percent in the second quarter and 4.6 percent in the third quarter this year, with an average growth rate of 4.8 percent in the first three quarters. Since September, as a package of incremental policies continues to yield its effects, China's economy maintains an upward trend. Overall, we are fully confident in achieving our economic growth goal this year. The country's economic performance has been hard-won. Externally, transformations around the world unseen in a century are unfolding at a greater pace, with global economic growth remaining sluggish, and the complexity, severity and uncertainty of the external environment on the rise. At home, domestic demand is insufficient, social expectations remain weak and there are difficulties associated with structural adjustments. The situation is severe and complex, and the task is difficult and weighty. However, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, Chinese localities and government agencies are more confident and are taking solid steps to deliver outcomes. The results underscore that "fundamentals of the Chinese economy, and favorable conditions such as a vast market, strong economic resilience and great potential remain unchanged." Huge market, vast space Markets are the scarcest resource. The modernization achieved by 1.4 billion Chinese people has resulted in the addition of a new super-large market larger than those of all developed countries combined. The new development paradigm will enable China to fully unlock its market potential and create greater demand for other countries. With a new car rolling off production line on November 14 , China's annual production of new energy vehicles (NEVs) surpassed the 10 million milestone, becoming the first country in the world to do so. Behind the number is China's robust supply and demand. In the first 10 months, China's production and sales of NEVs grew by 33 percent and 33.9 percent year-on-year, respectively. China continues to take the lead in the electrification and intelligence transformation of the automotive industry, which is attributed to the supply, policy support and demand advantage in the ultra-large market. Markets bring valuable business opportunities. Take cars for example. By the end of June, China had 345 million cars, but the country's car ownership level per 1,000 residents is less than half of that in developed countries. Additionally, China's NEV ownership is only 24.72 million, which means continuous demand in the future. Markets breed competition advantages. China's vast market contributes to the formation of "economy of scale" and "economy of scope," which generates greater profits for enterprises and reduces innovations costs, and also helps provide a large number of application scenarios and boost the large-scale application of innovations. China leads the world in batteries, motors and electronic control technologies, while its intelligent cockpits and intelligent driving are internationally advanced. Thanks to the benign interactions between supply and demand, the industrialization of new technologies and new products is speeding up. Strong resilience, solid basis Resilience strengthens self-belief. China has come to where it is today after overcoming all kinds of difficulties and challenges. Foreign trade is an important barometer in this regard. In the first 10 months of the year, China's foreign goods trade rose by 5.2 percent year-on-year to reach a new high compared with the same period historically. The improvement in the quality and efficiency of the country's foreign trade against the backdrop of shrinking external demand reflects China's economic resilience. This resilience originates from China's solid manufacturing basis and industrial chain advantages. "We could not do what we do without them," Apple CEO Tim Cook said of Chinese suppliers during his third visit to the Chinese mainland this year, as over 80 percent of Apple's 200 major suppliers have set up factories in China . China has the world's most comprehensive industrial categories and a well-rounded industrial system, with the scale of manufacturing industry ranking top for 14 consecutive years. The high-end, intelligent and green development of the manufacturing sector continues to strengthen the stability of the country's industrial and supply chain. In the first three quarters, the manufacturing industry contributed 32.2 percent to the country's economic growth, up 11.2 percentage points. China moved up to 11th place in the ranking of the world's most innovative economies. The basis is solid, and risks and challenges are not to be feared. Resilience also comes from excellent policy adjustments. The nation has been strengthening counter-cyclical adjustments, accelerating the implementation of major national strategies and the development of securities capabilities in key areas while supporting large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in policies for consumer goods with robust measures, boosting the stabilization of the property market and galvanizing the capital market. The government has also put forward a package of measures to dissolve local government debt risks. This year, a series of existing policies continue to produce effects and incremental policies are being effectively implemented, jointly helping the economy stabilize. Vast potential, strong momentum China's economy has vast potential and many advantages and favorable conditions for sustaining long-term development momentum. China has been the world's second-largest economy for many years, but still has vast development potential in terms of per capita and structure. China's per capita GDP remains relatively low, and the country's amount of infrastructure per capita is only 20-30 percent of that of developed countries. In 2023, China's urbanization rate, which measures the ratio of permanent urban residents relative to the total population, reached 66.2 percent by the end of 2023. Estimates show that each percentage point increase in the urbanization rate could drive 1 trillion yuan ( $137.55 billion ) in investment. Currently, both China's fiscal deficit ratio and government debt ratio are low, and the country's policy toolbox remains well-stocked. The potential also lies in elementary resources. China's human resources in science and technology ranked first in the country and the average length of education received by new entrants into the workforce has increased to 14 years, turning the demographic dividend into a talent dividend. In addition, overall sufficient social capitals, vast room for the highly efficient use of land and the vast unleashing of the potential of digital elements provide solid foundational support. This potential also comes from the huge market. The country's population of over 1.4 billion and middle-income population of over 400 million support a large-scale, diverse and huge domestic market. Accelerating the building of a unified national market will improve overall economic operation efficiency and continuously unleash the potential of domestic demand. Overall, China is a country with vast territory, a large population and unbalanced and uncoordinated development. This is a shortcoming, but also represents potential and a driving force for future development. Sparking vitality and building synergy through reform is essential to continuously unleashing development potential. From implementing regulations for fair competition reviews, accelerating the legislative process of the law on the promotion of the private economy and formulating normal communication mechanisms between governments and enterprises, to releasing a new national negative list for foreign investment and removing all market access restrictions for foreign investors in the manufacturing sector, China's reforms in key fields continue to deepen this year and high-level opening-up advances in an in-depth way. The third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization. Driven by reform of the economic system, China is correspondingly boosting reform in other fields, and the internal development momentum and vitality will continue to strengthen. Reviewing allows a clear understanding of the situation and better moving forward. While some major economies experience low growth rates and high inflation this year, China is expected to achieve its economic growth target of around 5 percent, and continue to contribute around 30 percent to world economic growth. This stable performance underlines the fact that China's economy will continue to remain on a positive trajectory over the long run. The story was originally published on the front page of the People's Daily on December 8, 2024 SOURCE Global Times

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Dallas (7-8) at Philadelphia (12-3) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 7 1/2 Against the spread: Dallas 6-9; Philadelphia 9-6 Series record: Cowboys lead 74-58. Last meeting: Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in the Eagles’ 34-6 rout of the Cowboys at Dallas on Nov. 10. Last week: Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers 26-24; Eagles lost 36-33 at Washington. Cowboys offense: overall (16), rush (28), pass (10), scoring (20) Cowboys defense: overall (27), rush (27), pass (21), scoring (30) Eagles offense: overall (6), rush (1), pass (31), scoring (8) Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (9), pass (2), scoring (5) Turnover differential: Cowboys minus-3; Eagles plus-6 Eagles player to watch RB Saquon Barkley is 162 yards shy of becoming the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and needs 268 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Cowboys player to watch In his past five games, QB Cooper Rush has passed for nine touchdowns and one interception, looking more comfortable of late after taking over for Dak Prescott in November. Rush is 9-2 as a starter against teams that are not the Eagles. RELATED COVERAGE Dolphins are on the outside of AFC playoffs and need help and a win over Browns to have any chance Bills seek to shore up playoff positioning in hosting Jets team looking ahead to uncertain offseason Surging Rams host the eliminated Cardinals in the rematch of a rare blowout loss for Sean McVay Key matchup Dallas’s rushing defense vs. Barkley. Can anyone stop him? The Cowboys will be the latest to try to corral Barkley, who has 1,838 rushing yards and 2,114 scrimmage yards, both of which lead the NFL. Dallas ranks 28th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing an average of 135.9 yards a game. Philadelphia, behind Barkley’s stellar play, tops the league at 187.9 yards a game on the ground. Key injuries Cowboys: WR CeeDee Lamb will miss the final two games after getting shut down over the sprained right shoulder he’s been dealing with the second half of the season. ... LB Eric Kendricks (calf) warmed up but wasn’t able to play against Tampa Bay last week. Eagles: Hurts is in concussion protocol after leaving the game following a 13-yard scramble with 9:52 left in the first quarter last week. ... DE Josh Sweat (ankle) and Jordan Davis also left the game at Washington early. ... QB Ian Book was signed to the practice squad Thursday. Series notes The Cowboys made the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons, but were eliminated prior to their game against Tampa Bay last week when the Commanders came back from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Philadelphia. ... Dallas is 5-2 on the road. ... The Eagles can clinch the NFC East and one of the conference’s top two seeds with a victory. ... On Jan. 11, 1981, the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 20-7 at their former home, Veterans Stadium. Wilbert Montgomery rushed for a 42-yard touchdown to give Philadelphia an early lead that propelled the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance. Stats and stuff LB Micah Parsons needs half a sack to reach double digits in sacks for the fourth straight season to begin his career and would become just the fifth player to accomplish the feat in NFL history. ... K Brandon Aubrey made a 53-yard and two 58-yard field goals against the Buccaneers, upping his league-leading total to 14 made of 50-plus yards. ... Kenny Pickett went 14 of 24 for 143 yards and a TD in relief of Hurts last week. If he can’t go because of the rib injury and Hurts remains unavailable, Philadelphia could turn to third-stringer Tanner McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick. Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick, is no stranger to starting, going 14-10 as Pittsburgh’s QB earlier in his career. ... Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected against Washington for committing two unsportsmanlike penalties. ... The Eagles already set a team record for rushing yards in a season with 2,818, and they are within four rushing touchdowns of tying the club’s best single-season mark of 32, set in 2022. ... Barkley needs just 33 yards from scrimmage to break McCoy’s mark of 2,146 scrimmage yards, set in 2013. ... WR A.J. Brown leads the NFL with 16.3 yards a catch and ranks ninth in the league with 1,043 receiving yards, joining Mike Quick (1983–85) as the only Philadelphia players to have three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Fantasy tip Philadelphia’s defense is tied for ninth in the NFL with a plus-6 turnover margin. With Hurts possibly sidelined, Philadelphia giving up an uncharacteristic 36 points last week and the chance to clinch the division, the Eagles defense likely will be extra motivated to have a good performance against a Dallas offense that ranks 21st in the league in points. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL