The Bank of North Dakota (BND) has set the US standard for how a public bank can serve the economic interests of a state or local economy, and many local governments want to emulate its success. This podcast opens with a recent clip of Eric Hardmeyer, CEO of the BND for over 20 years, describing the founding and operational principles that led the bank to outperform even the big Wall Street banks for profitability while taking an aggressive approach to fiscal problem solving.  Ellen then speaks with Braxton Brewington of the Debt Collective, a non-profit debt-reduction organization that has relieved thousands of debtors from life-sapping obligations while promulgating a national effort to reduce the massive debt loads carried by students, medical patients and other debt stressed citizens.