How Do Community Banks Support Their Colleagues?
“We have a dedicated team member who has been with the bank for many years,” says Chad Jones, president and CEO of $1.35 billion-asset First Bank of Alabama in Talladega, Alabama. “She began her career before starting a family. During her early years as a mother, she chose to leave the bank to stay home and focus on her children and husband, who had become ill shortly after their marriage and was out of work for many months.”
As her children neared school age, the employee reached out to see if she could return to work, and First Bank of Alabama welcomed her back without hesitation.
Within six months of her return, however, the employee’s oldest son was diagnosed with a serious illness. Faced with a difficult decision, she approached the executive team for guidance, ready to step aside and care for her family if necessary.
“Recognizing the challenges ahead, we assigned her to a role that allowed her to work both in the office and remotely, enabling her to maintain her job, insurance and support network at the bank,” says Jones. “Our team members also provided financial assistance for her travels to and from her son’s treatments.”
Jones says the goal was not simply to maintain a valuable employee, which she most certainly was. It was also to try to help relieve what were increasingly heavy burdens on someone whom the bank considered family.
In Hayward, Wisconsin, Chippewa Valley Bank is also dedicated to supporting its staff.
“As a family-owned community bank, we treat our employees as if they are our own family,” says Ryan Gerber, executive vice president at the $750 million-asset community bank. “We recently had a great young teller experience a horrible hardship.”
The teller had been renting a home that burned down in a fire. The family’s belongings were destroyed and, sadly, they lost their pet. “We immediately sprang into action as an institution to help the family,” says Gerber. “More than a dozen colleagues also donated in some way to help the family get back on their feet. As a result, the family was able to get … into a new home within days.”
Why is Community Bank Customer Service Exceptional?
Teagan Brown, assistant bank officer and community outreach coordinator for $2.2 billion-asset Maspeth Federal Savings in Maspeth, New York, has fond memories of an older customer she often helped during her first year at the bank.
“I worked as a teller at our Forest Hills branch, where I encountered an older customer who had suffered a stroke,” says Brown. “As a result, he no longer spoke English and communicated only in Polish.”
After the stroke, the customer began coming into the bank with his mail. While this initially caused some confusion, bank staff soon picked up that he was looking for help paying his bills.
“Using deductive reasoning and nonverbal communication,” Brown says, “I was able to understand his needs and assist him each time he visited, helping him write checks, purchase money orders or obtain bank checks to ensure his bills were paid.” Over time, this became a routine that provided the customer with both financial assistance and comfort.
“Sadly, this customer passed away during my second year at the bank,” Brown says. “After his passing, his son and wife came into the bank to thank us all and told me that the highlight of his day was coming to the bank.”
First Bank of Alabama has had a similar situation. “Earlier this year, a customer came to the bank seeking to withdraw funds from his nearly depleted account,” says Jones. The teller, noting the customer’s visible distress, engaged the customer in conversation and discovered that he had not eaten in over four days and intended to return home to be alone as usual. Concerned for the customer’s well-being, the teller contacted the community bank’s senior compliance officer and BSA officer.
“That same afternoon, these bank officers [took the initiative to visit] the customer’s home, bringing food and ensuring his welfare,” says Jones. The employees continued to check on the customer in the following days.
“They just had genuine care and compassion for this customer and took it upon themselves to act in service,” Jones adds. “It would not be accurate to say that this compassion and service was a product of our bank's culture. Rather, our culture and the services provided by our bank were a product of employees who have this genuine care for our communities.”
Chippewa Valley Bank’s staff also treat customers as much more than transactions. “Our tellers pride themselves on going the extra mile for our customers,” says Gerber. “For example, we live in a seasonal area, and people have requests while away that we make happen, such as running documents around town for them or planning ahead for the accounts knowing they will be gone for the winter.”
How Do Community Banks Help Local Businesses Grow?
One of First Bank of Alabama’s commercial customers launched a used-car dealership in 2016 after working in various dealerships for many years.
“He approached us for financing, and we supported this business, as well as a home purchase for him and his new bride,” says Jones. Over time, the community bank also financed small land acquisitions around the customer’s primary residence.
By 2019, his car dealership was facing significant business challenges. In response, the customer took up various jobs in restaurants and other dealerships to pay his mortgages, albeit often late. This led to multiple tax liens and court judgments.
“In 2022, he returned to the bank with the intent to purchase an existing local restaurant, and we agreed to provide financing,” says Jones. “While many banks might have turned him away, we believed in his character, which helped strengthen his case for credit, cash flow, collateral and capital.”
The customer successfully improved the restaurant’s gross revenues and focused on managing the cost of goods. By 2024, he had rebranded the restaurant and achieved significant success, with plans to open a second location this year.
“He has since turned his life around and often tells our team that we saved his life,” says Jones. “[He said] our belief in his ability to succeed helped him believe in himself again and grow. We are grateful for the honor of helping him through his difficulties and into realizing fulfillment in his career and life.”
Sometimes, businesses face external challenges that require extra support from their banks. In late 2019, $511 million-asset Denali State Bank in Fairbanks, Alaska, helped two local business partners establish a new brewery and tap house. The proposed home of the new business was a 20,000-square-foot former athletic club building that needed significant renovations to bring it back into operation and meet the needs of the brewery.
Over the next year, with the help of both a construction loan and brewery equipment financing from Denali State Bank, the customer set to work gutting and renovating the space—all while suddenly needing to navigate the many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented to supply chains and construction costs.
“The business brewed its first batch … and opened its doors in early 2021, becoming a regular destination in the Fairbanks area and one of the farthest-north breweries in the United States,” says Aaron Hines, commercial loans manager and senior vice president for Denali State Bank.
Almost six years later, the brewery now features a small eatery and has expanded its beverage offerings menu, including a brew dedicated to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks hockey team. Hines says the tap house provides a welcome environment for community events, especially during the cold and dark Alaska winters, with local artists encouraged to hang their artwork on the wall.
“Live music, local food trucks, trivia nights, community fat tire bike rides and many other events help bring community members together at this local business,” Hines says.
Gerber of Chippewa Valley Bank says that Main Street USA is the backbone of community banking, and now, more than ever, community banks need to be all in for their local businesses.
“There is no better closing than having a customer jumping for joy or crying that their dream of owning a business became a reality,” he says. “I remember the last local loan I did. They had worked at the business for seven-plus years and were finally able to buy it from the owner: a win-win-win situation for the owner, our customer, and the bank.
Why are Community Banks Important to Local Communities?
For the past 25 years, Maspeth Federal Savings has provided ongoing support for Maspeth Town Hall’s Learnfest Grant.
“The Learnfest program provides academic services to low- to moderate-income residents, including ESL [English as a second language] classes and homework assistance,” Brown says. “We have also supported their senior programs for the last two decades.”
As part of this partnership, Maspeth Federal Savings, in collaboration with the United States Postal Service, hosted a fraud prevention and awareness workshop for seniors. This workshop helped participants recognize and avoid common scams.
Recently, the community bank conducted a financial literacy workshop for one of Maspeth Town Hall’s after-school programs at a middle school, introducing students to age-appropriate money management concepts. Through these initiatives, the bank continues to help strengthen the community by promoting financial knowledge, security and long-term financial wellness.
First Bank of Alabama also prides itself on its community partnerships. “OneEast Alabama is a nine-county regional alliance focused on economic development, workforce and education, and tourism,” says Jones. Through an advisory council of economic developers from the counties, the alliance works to identify and attract industries, connect businesses with local partners and strengthen workforce readiness.
“Our bank was an original seed funding source for [OneEast Alabama], which endeavors to pull together community and business leaders within the heart of Alabama for the purpose of helping our communities become stronger together,” says Jones. “This is what community banks do. We pool resources to get the job done.”
Last year, Chippewa Valley Bank launched a campaign to educate students and seniors in its communities. As part of its “Smart Money” campaign, the bank went to 16 different school districts to educate students from sixth to 12th grade.
“Along with bringing fun tokens and valuable education to the schools, we made a monetary donation to each district,” says Gerber. “For the elderly, we visited many assisted living homes and weekly groups to educate our community members on phishing emails, check fraud and scams. This was huge for our footprint, as we have a lot of retirees who are being taken advantage of in today’s world.”
Why Choose a Career in Community Banking?
For many community bankers, their industry’s mission is personal, too. Jones says he’s often asked what drives him. “My answer has been and will continue to be, ‘I enjoy helping people,’” he says. “I have the opportunity to be a part of helping people achieve their dreams, goals and aspirations. I have met some of my best friends in this rewarding career, and together we thrive by remaining focused on helping our communities.”
Brown points to a particular program as an example of what she loves about community banking.
“The most rewarding personal experience I have had in my career in community banking has been my journey with the kindergarten to college financial literacy program at Maspeth Federal Savings,” she says. “Over the past five years, I have received emails from college students sharing that one of our workshops helped them choose their college major. I have received hugs from high school seniors thanking me for coming to their schools to talk about ways to afford college, because they are the first in their family to pursue higher education.”
Brown notes she began this work while a full-time teller. “As the impact of the program grew, so did my role, eventually leading to my current position as community outreach coordinator for the financial wellness program at Maspeth,” she says “This evolution has been deeply meaningful, as it reflects both my personal growth and the institution’s commitment to financial empowerment.”
Caring beyond the bank
Lending a hand to fellow community bankers sometimes extends beyond one’s own colleagues. “In the challenging world of banking, ongoing competition with other banks in your state is a daily occurrence,” says Chad Thomas, CFO of First Bank of Alabama in Talladega, Alabama. “However, there are times when the barriers of competition are broken down, and friendships and shared experiences with fellow bankers take precedence.”
Last fall, another Alabama community banker was diagnosed with a disease that required surgery to remove one of his kidneys. In response, Thomas organized a call with other state community bankers, “not to discuss strategies or examination experiences,” he says,” but to come together with compassion to pray, extend support and encourage our friend who was having to endure this frightening experience.”
“This stands as an example that, although as competing banks we may have differences,” he says, “there are times when our bank community is able to come together to support each other in the times that matter the most.”