profile add Q: While other banks might not be headquartered here, many are expanding their operations in L.A. What do you do to compete? A: One thing we don’t do is sell the names of our customers to telemarketers. We treat our clients with respect and confidentiality, respect they expect and deserve. We don’t try to make an extra 5 cents off them. We also have been very stable. Sometimes people worry we’re going to get sold. The reality is, we’ve been buying banks, and giving clients of the banks that join us better service. We believe in sustaining the relationship between our bankers and our clients. So when someone goes to all the trouble and time it takes to have their bank get to understand their business, we don’t pull the rug out from under them every six months with a new team. Q: What skills do you bring to the job that might be suited to this phase of the bank’s growth? A: There are a lot of similarities to running this business to running other businesses. First and foremost are people, the kinds of management teams you build. This bank, in particular, recognizes the value of having someone who really is himself an entrepreneur.
