Modern business transactions can often feel cold and impersonal. The human understanding and compassion that is the heart of doing business is sometimes lost. Which is why Elizabeth Allen is proud to be a team member at an organization pushing back against this loss of human connection.
Allen is the chief operating officer of Bryant Bank, Alabama’s largest family-owned community bank. Bryant Bank has six locations in and around the Birmingham area and will soon be opening a new location.
“Bryant Bank is excited to add a second Mountain Brook office, which will be located in the heart of Crestline Village,” Allen said. “This new office will be our seventh office in the greater Birmingham area. While the COVID pandemic has caused most of us to rethink many aspects of business, we strive to continue to put care into action to help our customers and our communities invest in their full potential in the new year.”
Bryant Bank offers personal, business and mortgage banking services complimented with digital banking technology and treasury management services, empowering their customers to bank wherever they are. But it isn’t just Bryant Bank’s services and convenience that set them apart.
“When talking about Bryant Bank, I think it’s important to focus on our steadfast commitment to Alabamians through legendary care and a personalized level of service that is becoming rare in banking,” Allen said. “As bankers, we get the unique pleasure to experience many of life’s legendary moments with our customers, but we are also by their side for all of the moments in between, too.”
Allen has been in the banking industry since she graduated from college in 1986, and she has seen firsthand the changes in the way that many do business.
“You could say the banking industry chose me,” she said. “The summer prior to my senior year in college, I received a letter from the college advising office communicating my qualification for an internship with a local bank. I interviewed and was hired.”
When she started her first position as an intern, the bank only had one computer, and Allen was the only banker in the market who knew how to use it. Now the thought of doing anything without the help of technology would be odd to most.
Despite that, Allen believes “the fundamentals of a good banking relationship, especially personalization, have remained relatively [the same], but the tools and technology available to work together to achieve results have changed drastically.”
Remaining on the cutting-edge of technology allows Allen and Bryant Bank to be there to support their customers when they need them most.
“Building strong relationships with our customers is at the core of who we are, but we know that it is equally important to help make banking more convenient. That is why we have spent the past few years investing in our digital offerings and technology,” Allen said.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown just how important that ability truly is.
This past year, she and the staff of Bryant Bank worked to help hundreds of businesses remain operational, keeping thousands of people from becoming unemployed.
“It was all-hands on deck,” Allen said in reference to the days after the passing of the CARES Act. “In just a few short weeks, we had helped over 1,300 small businesses in Alabama receive a much-needed relief loan during a very challenging time.”
The surge of businesses seeking loans through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), paired with the extra safety measures needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 presented a unique challenge for Allen and her team.
“We have been very fortunate to be able to continue our operations through our drive-thru lanes or with our digital banking offerings,” Allen said, and “as a result of COVID, we are … invest[ing] [even] more into our digital technology, which will be very beneficial to our bankers and our customers long-term.”
During the PPP loan surge, one business struggled to find adequate assistance with the PPP process from another bank. A dedicated banker with Bryant Bank, already working extreme hours to help existing customers, made the time to help a local business get the help they needed to remain open and serving their community.
Seeing the type of care that the staff of Bryant Bank offered, the business owner made the decision to move their entire banking relationship to Bryant Bank.
The bookkeeper for the business worked with several Bryant Bank employees during the transition and had the following to say about their experience:
“I haven’t met a Bryant Bank person who wasn’t sweet and helpful … It’s kind of like the twilight zone. I haven’t seen banking like this since I was a little girl going to the bank with my granny everyday. She owned her own business, so I ran errands with her all the time. We would walk in the bank in Roebuck and everyone knew her.”
“This is just one example of the many wonderful stories I hear about Bryant Bankers making a difference in the lives of Alabamians,” Allen said.
Bryant Bank has a strong dedication to helping the communities around them flourish.
“Ultimately, when our communities thrive, Bryant Bank thrives, too,” Allen said. “We are committed to serving our customers and our community through volunteerism, donations and partnerships. Bryant Bankers are encouraged to take on active roles, too. Often you will see many of our bankers participating in local events or taking an active role as a board member for a local nonprofit. Last year alone, we invested over $600,000 in Alabama communities, participated in over 2,500 volunteer hours and impacted over 300 organizations across the state.”
