3 min read November 2023 — Invest: spoke with Brandi Carberry-Vitier, president of The Bank of San Antonio, where she discussed how she emphasizes big bank services and technology with a small bank feel and an emphasis on partnering with the local business community. “We are led with treasury management, innovative lending, and high touch service,” she said.
How has The Bank of San Antonio grown over the past year?
As a consequence of the economic environment, the banking industry has faced several challenges by competing with U.S. Treasury rates. We cultivate strong relationships with our clients and communicate often with them. We raised interest rates early and have maintained our strong client base. Performance Trust Capital Management put out a report on deposits that reported that The Bank of San Antonio was the only Top 10 bank in the San Antonio metropolitan region to grow deposits by 5% or more. We’re a business-to-business bank owned and led by a diverse group of entrepreneurial-minded founders and leaders, and our innovative approach and agility is crucial to our success. We also consistently invest in our people and prioritize using innovative technology to keep our bank and clients ahead of the curve.
What are some of the great opportunities in the banking industry right now?
With bank failures across the country, it is our opportunity and mission to assure our clients about the strength of our balance sheet and strong credit quality culture. We have stable and steadfast clients, and our loan portfolio is solid. Our solid lending portfolio enables us to strategically bring in more commercial and industrial business to the bank. We are lending to the businesses in our community regardless of a soft landing or a recession. We are poised for success in 2024 and beyond as we build our bank for the future.
How has the merger with Texas Partners Bank evolved your services?
Under the leadership of Brent Given, in 2020, we merged with our two other banks: The Bank of Austin and Texas Hill Country Bank. The name Texas Partners Bank was born from that merger. This action has allowed us to scale our maximum loans to one borrower and increase our ability to lead participation and serve market businesses in our communities. Now, at close to $2.2 billion, we compete with banks of all sizes. We also combined three very astute boards, and their guidance and leadership are an integral part of our growth and success.
How has customer demand shifted over the past couple of years?
We’ve always led with deposits and have a highly specialized treasury management team. A core component to our model is that we lean into the operational side of businesses to learn their business model and truly understand their cash flow and opportunity areas. Recently, we began implementing more sweep accounts for clients’ operational reserve accounts. Previously this was reserved for large businesses, but we are finding that in today’s environment, the benefits are universal for businesses. The cost of capital is so high that more people are using cash reserves to pay down lines and pay off their loans. Loan demand has flattened this year, so we have the opportunity to expand what we can offer our clients.
How is The Bank of San Antonio implementing technology to protect against cybersecurity threats?
We are constantly educating our clients as to their risks of being attacked. Our messaging is to stay vigilant with evolving security protocols, and we communicate with our clients regularly on what we are learning daily. It’s important to never get comfortable with your fraud prevention hygiene. Education and sharing best practices are the key to fight fraud. We know our clients, and that continues to be a robust combination to protect our clients.
How has the STRIDE program empowered small-business owners?
This was a brainchild of key women executives from the bank, namely Patti Wilson, Angelica Palm and me. The idea was the result of the fact that small-business owners often have limited business education and knowledge about how to get capital for their businesses. As bankers, we can explain in advance what bankers look for when they seek a loan, and how to prepare for that introduction. We wanted to build a program where people understand the metrics bankers use for loan decisions, so they can have access to lower-cost capital. The other objective was to even the playing field for women business owners who have unique challenges with time – caregiving and household management, to name a few. This program offered networking opportunities within the cohort and through the university. In San Antonio, we have a large demographic that can benefit from this educational curriculum and resources. We want to understand the needs of business owners, whether they’re start-ups or have been in business for years and are looking to expand. The foundation of our financial education involves how to apply for loans successfully, and we continue to see that resonate with our clients and community members. This year, we are focusing on minority-owned small businesses and guiding them to a path for access to capital. We want to connect minority business owners with the vital resources available to navigate the growth of their business.
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