These days, it seems like big banks are eliminating more services than they’re providing and prioritizing their own bottom line above the best interests of their customers. At the local level, this puts customers at a serious disadvantage in the pursuit of their short- and long-term financial goals. Out-of-town banks coming in and overhauling your local bank lack the necessary market insights and local expertise to properly serve your unique needs.

Complacency and banking should not coexist.  If you’re in a position to reevaluate your banking experience, it’s worth reconsidering the ‘easy’ choice to stay put when your bank moves out of town, and take a closer look at the local options available in your community.

Poor communication

When local banks move their headquarters out of town after a merger or acquisition, customers can expect to feel the effects in several ways, whether it be managing the transition of digital banking products and services, navigating complex instructions on how to migrate and access accounts, or dealing with the process of securing a new debit card. These effects can be made even more difficult due to less-than-ideal communication from the financial institutions in question.

Regrettably, a lack of proactive communication with customers has become a hallmark of bank mergers and acquisitions of late. As a result, banking customers are left unprepared for the changes they are set to face, confused about what is required of them to make the transition smooth, and frustrated with the lack of support they are receiving.

Where big banks cut services, hike up fees and treat you like nothing more than your wallet, community banks are better positioned to listen to your needs and create tailored solutions to help you reach your goals.

Limited access to real people

Support systems at national and out-of-town banks are oftentimes automated — and if you do end up getting to speak to a human, it’s more than likely someone hundreds of miles away without personal knowledge of you or your business community.

When your bank is going through a transition and you’re faced with the inability to access essential services, the ability to speak to a real person is even more important. When this access is unavailable or hard to come by, customers can be in real trouble.

When your bankers grew up, live, and work where you do, you are more likely to experience reliable, dependable service, and also form a stronger relationship with them. This results in more personalized guidance rather than cookie-cutter answers and banking benefits that aren’t applicable to you or your situation.

Ask yourself: does my national bank really understand my specific needs and how they ladder back to my short- and long-term financial objectives?

Simply put, proximity and familiarity breed understanding and trust. And when national or out-of-town banks come into your community and don’t exercise the care and consideration required to truly understand the market and the customers who make it up, transparency and trust dissolve.

No knowledge of the local business community

If you’re a business owner, your bank losing its local presence and becoming unrecognizable doesn’t serve you or your customers.

“The biggest advantage of community banking is a local presence that enables a commitment to each customer and each community,” said Briana Hansen, SVP and Head of Retail Banking at Hinsdale Bank & Trust. “Banking with a national bank or one based out of town diminishes the understanding of your local banking community and business landscape — and how unique and competitive banking services and options need to be in order to generate success and ongoing value.”

Through the hardest two-plus years of many of our lives, too many people saw their national banking partners fall short. Phone calls went unanswered, Paycheck Protection Program loan support requests were ignored, and branches closed without much, or any, communication. Community banks like Briana’s were the ones that went above and beyond for their customers because they work and live in their communities, too.

Superficial local commitment

Big banks and out-of-town banks pretend to know you and your community, but more often than not, fail to deepen their local commitment.

When you bank with a community bank, your money is reinvested into the local economy, which helps neighborhoods grow. Founded as an alternative to big banks, community banks like Wintrust are designed to work alongside the community from within it, not from afar. Here, decisions are made by people who also call your community home. 

Our well-rounded approach allows us to be a true asset to our shared community and the businesses that make it special, because your success is our success. That’s why JD Power ranked Wintrust highest in customer satisfaction in retail banking in Illinois and our commercial banking team has been recognized with multiple Greenwich Awards for excellence in customer service and as the state's No. 1 SBA loan provider in 2021.

Community banking as it should be

Where other banks are out of town and out of touch, Wintrust is the modern, local banking solution you can trust. As a company made in this area, for this area, our community banks are dedicated to the unique neighborhoods each serves. With more than 170 locations in and around Chicago, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana, our banks were built to provide the resources of a large company, but the personal touch of a small institution.

Wintrust community banks are named to reflect the unique communities they serve and are committed to being a true asset to those areas. When you bank with us, you can be confident your money is going back into the things and the communities that matter most to you.

Choose the banking option best suited to serve your financial needs of today and the future. Founded on transparency and trust, Wintrust is Chicago’s most experienced community bank — with better banking benefits to support every chapter of life, and bankers who know your community like you do.

If you value personalized service, sophisticated solutions, local expertise, and working with people as invested in your success as you are, make the switch to the last remaining Chicago bank.