Executives coming into their own as banks forge through recession - Business First of Columbus:

otomaqaqaba.blogspot.com
Four top executives – Dan Apple, presideng and chief operating officerof ; David president and CEO of ; Jeff president and chief operating officer of ; and Tom Westfall, – all in their 40’s – are the youngb faces shaping the next generation of communitty banking. Apple founded Cooper State in 2004. His banking career began with , which originally was based in but moved to Columbus inthe 1980’s. Mergerx and acquisitions moved him through Bank Firsy National andlater Unizan. Apple ascended the ranks in aclassic fashion, first as a management trainee, then assistang manager, then manager, then a regionapl vice president over retail branches.
His backgroundd is heavy on retail banking andcommercial lending. He said he has had severaol mentors overthe years, learning the importance of sound underwriting criteria “regardless of the economic climate,” and stickinfg to the basics by generating core checkin g and savings accounts and “keepinfg it simple” on the investment side. “Iu think the role of community bankds is to offer services and investments to individualds and businesses in the local marketx where theyare located,” he “Many of our customersz call us before they even get a propert y in contract to ask our he said.
And on the deposit side, he said Coopeer State tries to align the propet products tothe customer, rather than just sell a particular productr each week or Cooper State, Apple said, neverr was involved in subprime lending, derivatives or what he called other “exoticf investments.” Residential and commercial loans are the focuse of the bank’s business. “These are good, safe loana that are important inour neighborhoods,” he said. With five othed locations in addition to its Dublin Cooperstresses convenience.
“Our biggest advantagew is convenience andrelationship banking,” Apple The bank is open 7 days a week, with extendedc hours and also open most Apple has been able to grow a core deposir base as customers have moved thei accounts from many of the large And competition on the loan side has actuall lessened as there is now a credir risk associated with pricing on loans. as other banks have Cooper State has been able to hire Apple said. “My general philosophy is to make money on both sides of the balance loansand deposits,” Apple said. “We like to bringg in core checking and savingw accounts and lend it out with conservative loans.
” Thinking expansion Mallett is an alumnus of the old , wherew he worked in different capacities in the 1980s and He became president of Bank One’s Coshoctoh operation, a $255 million-asset bank with five branches and abouyt 100 employees. He left Bank One in 2001 and practicesd law as an assistant county prosecutor inLickingy County, and served on the county’s Court of Commo Pleas as a magistrate. He joined Firsty Bexley in January 2008. With its singls location, the bank, on East Main Street in Bexley, gets to practice what it preachesw about working close tothe community.
“Community banking fills a largee and somewhat underserved market within thebankingb sector,” Mallett said. “We are close to our The recession has had minimal impact onFirsgt Bexley, Mallett said. Like other local community Mallett said his bank did not invest in thesubprimre market. And he added that through hard work and what hecalleds “common sense decisions,” the bank has continued its profitablwe growth during its first three years in business. Firs Bexley bank is eyeing expansion, he said, and “looking to establis many more customer relationships.
” The bank hasn’tg clamped down on lending since therecessiob began, and continues to pursues lending relationships with small businesses and real estatee and residential loans. Kessler has been at Benchmark Bank sincs its inceptionin 2005. He workede for 16 years at , startintg as a management trainee, then a brancn manager, moving up to vice Kessler is an alumnusof , wherd was a vice president in commercial real Community banks help “mom-and-pop companies, start-up businesses and individuals,” Kessler said. “And that’e just fine with us.
When thesw folks walk into a community they are known by name because they are the same people who serve onthe school, churcnh and civic community boards that our bankers serve. They are the same folksx they see in thegrocery store, the school football game and the band concert.”