When I incorporated my second business I decided to use community banks, and this one had great financials and a convenient location. For the duration of my first year of business they were so helpful. The advantage of using a bank that offered personal relationships was very apparent. But today I called about a deposit I had overnighted from my new home in Chicago. Yup, I've even retained them as my bank now that I live an hour away. Todays call was a new sort of encounter. Instead of making life easier for me and doing what helps me and my business, they stuck to their procedure book. Now, admittedly, I was wrong in my banking practices and their assistance would have been a helpful favor. But that, to me, is the advantage of community banks. Sometimes I thrive and we all benefit and sometimes I hurt and they help (in inconsequential ways) to absorb some of the blow. But todays call was not about being helpful and personal. I was disregarded in favor of "procedure". Today they were not People First Bank; they were Procedure First Bank in every respect. I hope this is not their new business model. read more
