Dutch bank comes to Roseville with a blend of the old and new
By Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
While most of the banks, title companies and other financial institutions that line
This blend of old and new is an experiment in creating a bank for a tech-savvy age in which customers rarely walk into physical branches. It's also a fitting calling card for a bank with an unconventional profile.
But in cities like
"
The company also operates farm-lending offices elsewhere in
"You'll see a lot of the finance people here, marketing people," said
But the heart of the bank remains in farm country, a region battling a devastating drought. Despite late-winter rains, the drought is expected to erase billions in agricultural production and rural economic activity this year, according to the
"There will be less planting; you can be sure of it," Meerburg said.
But bank officials say they and their farmer customers will be able to ride out the drought.
"Being a global rural bank, we have seen droughts in different areas of the world," Marttin said. "You can't get scared of it; it's normal."
Meerburg said the bank has been working with its borrowers throughout
"We can't make it rain," Meerburg said. "What we can do is bring in expertise."
Aside from the drought, the
Profits fell to
The bank also was cited by the
Marttin said the citation was the result of growing pains;
Overall, company executives said they're pleased with
"
The parent company has been struggling somewhat. Profits fell 2 percent last year, and the company warned of "continuing difficult conditions and an uncertain outlook." Last fall, the company paid a
Marttin said the downsizing is largely a function of changing times in the banking industry. With customers conducting more of their banking via computer or smartphone, foot traffic has dropped considerably at branches.
A similar change is underway in
Because fewer customers walk into banks for routine tasks like deposits or withdrawals, the
The idea is to adjust staffing levels to new realities. While a traditional
At the same time, some customers still want a brick-and-mortar place to visit, and branch manager
"It's got a much different feel than traditional U.S. banking, by design," Cisneros said. "In the future, you're not going to have these old-school behemoth branches with 25 tellers."
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