To hear politicians and social activists and critics tell it, the financial services industry – banks included – is driven by greed. Profit, the critics contend, is the sole motivation for a bank to unlock its doors each morning.
But a November 2015 story in the American Bankers Association Banking Journal tells a far different story, of how two executives at a Rutherford, N.J.-based community bank helped open the door of economic opportunity by opening a teller window for homeless, poor or vulnerable women and their children.
It shows the heart of community banks.
A story by Evan Sparks recounts how two vice presidents at Boiling Springs Savings Bank –Debra Cannariato and Theresa O’Keefe – sparked an initiative that is training qualified tellers who stand at the front lines of a bank’s brand and customer service.
An important bit of background: Cannariato and O’Keefe began their careers as tellers, moving up the ladder. After attending an “empowerment ceremony” at a non-profit in Patterson N.J., where disadvantaged women told stories of how the center enabled those women to break the cycle of poverty. Most were going to jobs in the food service sector.
Touched by the stories, the two bankers had a thought:
“I looked at Theresa and said, ‘With all the banks in Paterson, there’s always a need for tellers,” Cannariato said. Together the two explored how they could bring training to the non-profit.
“When we started as tellers years ago, we didn’t realize how far we could go in our careers,” Cannariato told the ABA. “We want to share our pathways to success with these women and let them know their future can be just as bright.”
As a result of the two bankers’ efforts, Boiling Springs Savings Bank partnered with the New York Bankers Association to provide ABA Teller Certificate training. Courses include banking basics, dealing with co-workers, workplace conduct, ethics, customer service and other teller functions.
Cannariato and O’Keefe are networking with other area banks to make the program sustainable, to sponsor training and hire graduates.
If you have similar initiatives that are making a difference in your community, or want to launch a similar program, let BankMarketingCenter.com help tell your story.
Read the complete story at http://bankingjournal.aba.com/2015/11/a-teller-window-of-opportunity/
Learn more about the ABA Bank Teller Certificate at http://www.aba.com/Training/DC/Pages/btcertificate.aspx#_ga=1.8916149.1236580415.1452816734
