Community Banking

Most community banks today are faced with constant pressure on interest margins, strong competition for quality loans, increasing difficulty in raising low cost deposits, and continual pressure to reduce expenses. Community banks continue to struggle with technology that is under utilized and more difficult to manage. Technology decisions are getting more complex, more expensive and executives are being presented with an increasing number of requests for significant technology expenditures. Just 10 years ago there were only a few "systems" in a bank, now there can be dozens of complex major systems, which in most cases all need to work together. Just one technology mistake today can be very costly, not only in terms of monetary cost but also in terms of lost time on an unproductive project. And lastly, we continue to be overwhelmed by new regulations like the US Patriot Act, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, GLB, and Check 21, all of which strain the resources of a community bank.

The Vitex Community Banking Practice is dedicated to helping bank executives deal with these challenges. Our professionals are all individuals that have demonstrated leadership and a sustained level of success throughout their banking careers. Every professional is an expert banker with over 20 of banking experience; many are considered experts in their field of practice. Our professionals lead and assist our clients in developing practical strategies focused on helping them achieve their strategic business objectives.

To help community banks on an on-going basis, we have created The Vitex Alliance. The primary purpose of The Vitex Alliance is to provide on-going visionary leadership to Presidents and CEOs of community banks. Many of our client executives use the Alliance to supplement their team and to provide a system of checks and balances. For example, many clients do not have an experienced senior executive to manage their technology. Other clients have internal expertise but value an independent source of unbiased information. In either case, we have found that, working closely with the President and CEO, we are able to provide strategic advice and guidance across a wide range of issues. Our professional staff averages almost thirty years of banking and technology experience. As senior bank executives, we have dealt with the same types of issues every CEO faces daily. Regular interaction with our team delivers a high payback on your Alliance investment - both in managing technology and improving the bank's overall profitability. Technology touches almost every major aspect of bank today. We help ensure that each technology decision reinforces and supports your overall business strategy.