On 11/8/2013 12:05 PM, wrote:

OR... maybe Lew has the same situation I do. I have banked at the same bank for over 30 years. People come and people go. I live in a town of about 1.3 million when including the metro area, and San Antonio TX is usually #7 or #8 in population size in the US depending on the reporter.

YEARS ago I had the same bank officer for some time. But that all changed as did the way banking is done here in TX. We use the branch system, so while you might be talking to a branch manager, so you light years away from talking to the "Prez" of the banking system. Some tiny state banks might still have a president in the bank, but I doubt it.

And since a branch can be set up with a good computer link, a nice vault, and a tiny space inside to service customers that actually want to come in, bank branches are relatively inexpensive to open. So in my neck of the woods the expansion of all banks is ceaseless. They go through people rapidly, promoting those they like, training for different positions to increased their value to the bank, and then of course losing them due to the low wages paid to the rank and file.

Since I have been with the same bank so long they actually assign a rep to my account. The rep usually lasts about 9 months to a year, sometimes longer, but is just a rep. Gone are the days of relationship banking where I could call my guy, get a few thousand put in my account and stop by later in the day to sign the papers. As it is, I am lucky they waive all fees and charges to the account.

Self employed for 30 years now, I don't see the need to go in the bank. It is a wasted of time to me to interface with people that will be gone in a few months when my banking requirements are so low these days. And I only go by the bank a mile from my house when I am paid on a job and make a deposit on the way home, or to get some cash. Unless you are living in a rural environment, the folks that work in the branch are pretty much just place holders. If you don't believe it, go in and ask your favorite guy (that you have known for years)for a $10,000 personal loan and see how long it takes to get it.

Although I am resentful of how little they pay to use my money, I like the new banking ways better. At least now I don't have to listen to someone pretend that they give a crap about me or my company when I have to use bank services. They do as little as possible now and make no pretense about it.

My sentiments exactly!

IME (and I do recall a time when this was not the case) it has been at
least 30 years since having a long term relationship with "your" banker
was in any way, shape or form, beneficial, or even possible, to a small
business.

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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Swingman wrote:

It's a good thing, since the rare cash I ever get is apparently
considered by the other inmates as "our money", and quickly disappears
from my wallet.

Damn - you suffer that too? I was feeling sorry for myself, thinking I was
alone in this dilema...

--

-Mike-

On 11/8/2013 12:14 PM, Swingman wrote:
....

IME (and I do recall a time when this was not the case) it has been at
least 30 years since having a long term relationship with "your" banker
was in any way, shape or form, beneficial, or even possible, to a small
business.

Sorry to hear it...it's still _the_ way here. You've apparently lost
much if not mandatory in doing business at least in a personal life
experience/enrichment process of being able to do business in the
old-timey handshake fashion. Not all progress is really progress.

I've not (by choice) lived in a truly major metro area but have been in
areas w/ 1M+ in greater business area. Even there there were small but
nationally-chartered banks with which one could have such a relationship.

Here there's no pretense whatsoever--they _ARE_ interested and they
_ARE_ beneficial and it's worthwhile to keep in touch even though I've
known the president (and major stockholder) since we were kids...we're
neighbors as well as business partners and friends. His family also
owns ground we've farmed since within a year or two of my grandfathers'
having homesteaded the place (one year away from "century farm" status
this year).

--

On 11/8/2013 1:19 PM, dpb wrote:
....

Sorry to hear it...it's still _the_ way here. You've apparently lost
much if not mandatory in doing business at least in a personal life
experience/enrichment process of being able to do business in the
old-timey handshake fashion. Not all progress is really progress.
....

ADDENDUM:

While there is a lot more paperwork than in olden days owing to
Dodd-Frank and all the other crap been put on the banks, one prime
advantage of the personal relationship is that dealing with it is
essentially pro forma after the fact or just replicate and date to
satisfy the files instead of having to "do it all again"...

--

"dpb" wrote:

snip
Lew mistakes the _real_ reason to go into the bank isn't to do the
routine business w/ a teller but to visit with the prez, catch up on
the local "more businessy" news in town in factual context don't get
at the coffee shop from the street, and otherwise connect w/ another
significant portion of the community...again, this presupposes using
the local bank with a local presence not the outside interloper
chain that has no interest in the community other than what can ship
back to main office from there.
--------------------------------------------------
If I want to bull****, I'll go to the boat yard.

Lew

On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 12:24:53 -0800, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:


"dpb" wrote:

snip
Lew mistakes the _real_ reason to go into the bank isn't to do the
routine business w/ a teller but to visit with the prez, catch up on
the local "more businessy" news in town in factual context don't get
at the coffee shop from the street, and otherwise connect w/ another
significant portion of the community...again, this presupposes using
the local bank with a local presence not the outside interloper
chain that has no interest in the community other than what can ship
back to main office from there.
--------------------------------------------------
If I want to bull****, I'll go to the boat yard.

Lew


The bull barn at the local ABC has fresher BS and a whole lot more of
it- - - - - - - -.

On 11/8/2013 2:24 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
....

If I want to bull****, I'll go to the boat yard.
....

There are many levels on which the bull session is valuable--different
folks are at different spots and the resulting "information" is for an
alternate universe depending...I partake of several from the sale barn to...

--

On 11/8/2013 1:19 PM, dpb wrote:

Sorry to hear it...it's still _the_ way here.

Good for you. It hasn't been that way in the urban jungles of Texas
since the bank shakeout in the mid to late 80's.

Enjoy it while you can.

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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On 11/8/2013 4:36 PM, Swingman wrote:
On 11/8/2013 1:19 PM, dpb wrote:

Sorry to hear it...it's still _the_ way here.

Good for you. It hasn't been that way in the urban jungles of Texas
since the bank shakeout in the mid to late 80's.

Enjoy it while you can.

A quick search found several local, independent banks in the Houston
area so the model isn't _completely_ dead...even in TX urban blight.

--

On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 13:35:08 -0500, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

Swingman wrote:

It's a good thing, since the rare cash I ever get is apparently
considered by the other inmates as "our money", and quickly disappears
from my wallet.

Damn - you suffer that too? I was feeling sorry for myself, thinking I was
alone in this dilema...

My wife never goes in my wallet, nor I in her purse (no man knows what
lurks...). We both have ATM cards. ;-)

On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:26:28 -0600, dpb wrote:
A quick search found several local, independent banks in the Houston
area so the model isn't _completely_ dead...even in TX urban blight.

I'd guess what really counts is how long those independent banks have
been there and if its employees live and work in the same
neighbourhood.

Forty years ago, I knew my bank manager's name without having to read
it and I might be greeted by one or more of the bank's employees if I
was out shopping somewhere. And, this was in a big city. Those days
are long gone.

On 11/8/2013 9:07 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:26:28 -0600, wrote:
A quick search found several local, independent banks in the Houston
area so the model isn't _completely_ dead...even in TX urban blight.

I'd guess what really counts is how long those independent banks have
been there and if its employees live and work in the same
neighbourhood.

Forty years ago, I knew my bank manager's name without having to read
it and I might be greeted by one or more of the bank's employees if I
was out shopping somewhere. And, this was in a big city. Those days
are long gone.

Several seem to have been around at least 30-40 yr, a fair number are
newer...that's all w/o any knowledge at all of Houston and very quick
looking...

The point is they're not _necessarily_ "long gone" unless one allows it
to be so by not finding and using the ones that are there. If you were
with an outfit that was bought out and stayed that may be what it looks
like from that vantage point and it may not be worth the effort to make
a move, but there are other options available if one wishes.

Even here one of the old locals got caught up in the merger mania and
ended up being swallowed up again and again until it's now a sorry BOA
branch w/ no live tellers at all. But, the other two in town remained
independent and thrive along with a third that formed about 20 yr ago
and another from nearby OK panhandle that has opened a branch in town
and also seems to be doing well. Being a relatively small town, I know
the principals in all of these except the BOA and do recognize them on
the street and see them regularly. In TN w/ 1M people in regional area,
I _still_ knew the people and saw them on occasion outside as well but
again I didn't go to one of the big name outfits or even 1st TN that's
regional.

Largely it depends on how important it is to one to go to the effort to
not just take the apparently easy road first in choosing.

--

On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 21:34:37 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 11/8/2013 9:07 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:26:28 -0600, wrote:
A quick search found several local, independent banks in the Houston
area so the model isn't _completely_ dead...even in TX urban blight.

I'd guess what really counts is how long those independent banks have
been there and if its employees live and work in the same
neighbourhood.

Forty years ago, I knew my bank manager's name without having to read
it and I might be greeted by one or more of the bank's employees if I
was out shopping somewhere. And, this was in a big city. Those days
are long gone.

Several seem to have been around at least 30-40 yr, a fair number are
newer...that's all w/o any knowledge at all of Houston and very quick
looking...

The point is they're not _necessarily_ "long gone" unless one allows it
to be so by not finding and using the ones that are there. If you were
with an outfit that was bought out and stayed that may be what it looks
like from that vantage point and it may not be worth the effort to make
a move, but there are other options available if one wishes.

Even here one of the old locals got caught up in the merger mania and
ended up being swallowed up again and again until it's now a sorry BOA
branch w/ no live tellers at all. But, the other two in town remained
independent and thrive along with a third that formed about 20 yr ago
and another from nearby OK panhandle that has opened a branch in town
and also seems to be doing well. Being a relatively small town, I know
the principals in all of these except the BOA and do recognize them on
the street and see them regularly. In TN w/ 1M people in regional area,
I _still_ knew the people and saw them on occasion outside as well but
again I didn't go to one of the big name outfits or even 1st TN that's
regional.

Largely it depends on how important it is to one to go to the effort to
not just take the apparently easy road first in choosing.
When I bought my first house, back about 1978-ish I assumed the
existing first mortgage and was a bit short of cash for the down
payment come closing day - I had the cash coming, but not in hand. I
went to my bank manager (who I had been dealing with since about age
8) and asked for a bridge financing loan. He said "you don't need a
loan, just sign the cheque" - so I did. About six weeks later the cash
from the sale of my truck came through, and that was that.

On 11/8/2013 9:34 PM, dpb wrote:

Several seem to have been around at least 30-40 yr, a fair number are
newer...that's all w/o any knowledge at all of Houston and very quick
looking...

Yep, you and Google have it all figured out, from a thousand miles away,
no personal experience with Texas banking and history, and "w/o any
knowledge at all".

Good luck making that believable.

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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Friday, November 8, 2013 9:34:37 PM UTC-6, dpb wrote:


Largely it depends on how important it is to one to go to the effort to

not just take the apparently easy road first in choosing.

I can't decide. I don't know if that last statement was ignorance, stupidity, or arrogance. Maybe some of all.

First, since you obviously live in a different banking environment than I do, you can't possibly know the banking culture we have here in Texas. I know, I know... "but Google said Robert!"

State charters mean little here. Banks are banks. We aren't in Mayberry RFD. There are no doubt some banks that have that old time Mom and Pop atmosphere somewhere in this state; somewhere that has the old men in the corner playing dominoes around the cast iron stove, the president's wife make cookies for their customers every once and a while, and there is still a free toaster with a 1000 S&H Green Stamps with every new account.

You are an complete idiot if you think I don't have the same banking relations I had 25 years ago because

Largely it depends on how important it is to one to go to the effort to
not just take the apparently easy road first in choosing.

You think I wouldn't do what it takes to take care of my company and my business? You think monetary relationships aren't important to a contractor where half of you business is managing money/budgets? You think someone like me doesn't have a bank president that will sit down and bull**** with me because I am too lazy to look for one?

Maybe you should Google, "Daddy, how come people all over the USA aren't just like me?" Maybe if you could see beyond the end of your street...

Sheesh.

Robert

Don't be a

On 11/9/2013 8:33 AM, Swingman wrote:
On 11/8/2013 9:34 PM, dpb wrote:

Several seem to have been around at least 30-40 yr, a fair number are
newer...that's all w/o any knowledge at all of Houston and very quick
looking...

Yep, you and Google have it all figured out, from a thousand miles away,
no personal experience with Texas banking and history, and "w/o any
knowledge at all".

Yep, but I'd be pretty certain having looked at several of the
individual bank's filings they're pretty solid...

The point is, however, that there _ARE_ individual local banks even in
the metro areas still if you go find them. Not all are necessarily the
conglomerates.

--

On 11/9/2013 12:32 PM, dpb wrote:
On 11/9/2013 8:33 AM, Swingman wrote:
On 11/8/2013 9:34 PM, dpb wrote:

Several seem to have been around at least 30-40 yr, a fair number are
newer...that's all w/o any knowledge at all of Houston and very quick
looking...

Yep, you and Google have it all figured out, from a thousand miles away,
no personal experience with Texas banking and history, and "w/o any
knowledge at all".

Yep, but I'd be pretty certain having looked at several of the
individual bank's filings they're pretty solid...

The point is, however, that there _ARE_ individual local banks even in
the metro areas still if you go find them. Not all are necessarily the
conglomerates.

--


Ok, consider local. For instance a bank across town for you "might"
mean a 10 mile drive. For me a drive across town would take 40 minutes
on a Sunday morning. Then 40 minutes back.

On 11/9/2013 12:30 PM, wrote:
....

I don't think any of that, really...other than what you (seemingly)
complained of earlier that the rep's you've been assigned keep changing
on you.

If you get adequate service and are satisfied, that's good -- but even
in large locations and in TX (and yes, I _do_ know something of the
_state_ of TX even if not Houston as we're within spittin' distance of
the panhandle so do have business dealings in TX) there are still
independents.

There were a bunch who were (again at least seemingly) saying there
simply are none any longer and I'm certain that isn't true.

And, for Leon before I kill-mark the thread to not be inclined to
continue what has gotten far too far afield, yes, I understand that in a
large metro area it may be there isn't a convenient branch of a smaller
bank within that area that despite how good they might actually be that
they are a logical choice. Then again, here where things are sometimes
widely separated for the opposite reason of there being none of a
particular service within a 100-mi or so radius, we're pretty used to
commuting for some things or having to make parts runs to the nearest JD
or CIH dealer that has the particular part that local doesn't when need
it...

If one thinks one has to have a blue borg then you're talking a 65-mi
drive, minimum. Before gas prices got so high it wasn't at all uncommon
for folks to fly to Colorado Springs or Denver for a supper and return
that night when there was no restaurant that was of the sophistication
of actually using real table linen in town...

--

On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 16:36:08 -0600, Swingman wrote:

On 11/8/2013 1:19 PM, dpb wrote:

Sorry to hear it...it's still _the_ way here.

Good for you. It hasn't been that way in the urban jungles of Texas
since the bank shakeout in the mid to late 80's.

Enjoy it while you can.

I can remember over 30 years ago when we had drinks at lunch driving
around with the banker passing a bottle around in the car. I was the
youngster and to this day I admire the friendships that my dad had
from WWII. Those guy got a lot done. Back then all the government
offices had plain steel furniture. Seems like now they are all trying
to create the perfect job environment.

Mike M

On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 12:24:53 -0800, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:


"dpb" wrote:

snip
Lew mistakes the _real_ reason to go into the bank isn't to do the
routine business w/ a teller but to visit with the prez, catch up on
the local "more businessy" news in town in factual context don't get
at the coffee shop from the street, and otherwise connect w/ another
significant portion of the community...again, this presupposes using
the local bank with a local presence not the outside interloper
chain that has no interest in the community other than what can ship
back to main office from there.
--------------------------------------------------
If I want to bull****, I'll go to the boat yard.

Lew


The funny thing was Lew you voiced your opinion of why you didn't want
to go inside, and I told you why it was to big deal for me because of
where I lived. Look where this thread has gone. Just shows life is
interesting.