In Praise of Community and Regional Banks
April 9, 2020
Authored by: Jim McAlpin
Last week my partner Rob Klingler posted an impassioned plea to the SBA and bank regulators to allow banks with less than 500 employees to be borrowers under the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP as it has become known. Rob joined a chorus of voices across the country pointing out that community banks are small businesses too, and if the jobs of employees at a community bank can be saved isn’t that as helpful to the economy as any other small business? Unfortunately, the overhang of TARP appears to continue to cloud decisions in Washington and banks were excluded from receiving loans under the PPP. Irony drips from that decision. At the beginning of the last financial crisis, when the business fortunes of some of the largest banks appeared at risk, Washington rushed to their aid with TARP. Now, at the beginning of a financial crisis that is hitting small business hard, community banks are being told they are the only small businesses in America which must soldier on without government financial assistance.

In that context, isn’t it remarkable that small and mid-sized businesses across the country are flocking to community and regional banks for responsive assistance in the PPP process? My practice has always been a mix of corporate finance and advisory work for middle market businesses and consulting and board advisory work for banks. I like the balance and the perspective that mix brings. Over the past two weeks this view into two worlds has revealed to me the true nature of relationship banking, and the absolute commitment to that concept at most community and regional banks. My clients and contacts in the middle market business world have been frequently asking for updates on the roll out of the PPP program. That was understandable and to be expected. What I did not expect was the volume of calls I’ve been receiving for referrals to smaller banks from customers of large banks. Those calls often begin with expressions of frustration at the inability to get anyone from the larger bank on a call or even to respond to an email regarding the PPP process, and that the most frequent communication received is “you need to visit our website for assistance.” In an environment where hundreds of thousands and likely millions of small to medium sized businesses across the country are suddenly struggling, and with no sense of the near term path, it really matters to the persons running those businesses that they receive support, encouragement and, if possible, assistance from their bankers. It is in the difficult times when relationship banking really matters, not the boom times.