Author: Matt Zastrow, Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer

I am a self-proclaimed “community bank” guy.  So, you might ask, “What does that mean?” I grew up at a community bank. My parents opened my first savings account at a bank that had one office. My grandfather served on the board of directors there. On Saturdays before Christmas, Santa Claus would be at the bank, and I would tell him all the things I wanted. I went along with my parents when they signed loan paperwork with Merlin, and I couldn’t wait to deposit my birthday money into my passbook savings account and see the interest that I had earned. My first job after graduating college was as a credit analyst at that same bank, and I had the privilege to work there for 16 years before I was given the opportunity to move to PremierBank.

I moved because I saw a lot of similarities between PremierBank and the bank that I grew up with. I saw a sense of community here. If you know me, you know that I am not a salesman. However, I am a people person, and I truly love being able to help people. I love seeing young kids bring their bags of coins in to deposit into their savings account and then, as they grow up, drive away after obtaining their first car loan. I love seeing the excitement in the couple that just closed on their first home. I love to see entrepreneurs strategically grow their businesses year after year and eventually become more concerned about deposit rates than loan rates, and I love when that cycle starts all over again with the next generation.

What makes working with a community bank so special?

It’s not fair for me to discuss corporate banking when I don’t know anything about it, but let me tell you why community banking is worth it. We are concerned about helping people, and strengthening relationships is the top priority. Not only are customers building trust in us, but we are building trust in our customers and developing long-lasting relationships that will go on for many generations. We are concerned with people and businesses in our community, and that is where our focus stays. Our shareholders are local, so our profits go back to the shareholders in the community. Community banks donate both money and time to make our communities better. We don’t have quotas or special products to steer people to because we make more money selling one thing over another. We care about matching our customers with the right loan product that works for them. We can be flexible when considering loan structures, and we can think outside the box. These are just a few things that get me excited about community banking.

Every bank has money. Every bank will take deposits and give loans. Every bank will generally have the same products, and every bank has people there to help. However, community banks are built on trust, personal connections, and a genuine commitment to the people and places they serve. We are not just here to lend money; we are here to support and empower the lives and businesses in our communities. So, if you’re looking for more than just a loan, if you’re looking for a partner who’s as invested in your success as you are, come experience the difference with a community bank.

Our chairman, Russ Turk, frequently says, “We are not in the money business, we are in the people business.”  I think that is the difference in community banking, and that is what PremierBank is all about.

If you’d like to learn more about our wide range of loan products at competitive rates, click here.