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Bank Florida Market President Tom White, center, is pictured with staff at the bank location in Kissimmee.
Bank Florida in Kissimmee is providing a full service institution, but with a hometown touch.
Having just opened in January at 100 Park Place Blvd., Bank Florida is Osceola County’s only “community” bank.
What is a community bank?
Unlike the larger regional banks, a community bank has a local board of directors and local stockholders who are confident enough to invest.
It makes banking much more efficient, said Market President Tom White, who last came from Centennial Bank.
“With a local board, we can act faster,” he added. “We can make quicker loan decisions because we push decision-making down to the local level.”
At bigger regional banks, a lender on duty may not have the authority to make decisions, White explained.
“Everything has to go to a committee,” he said.
It’s less red tape and less bureaucracy, White noted. And the loan committees at the regional banks might not even be in Florida.
“You have people on that committee that don’t know your market,” White said. “We know the market. We can make a phone call and approve a loan. The customers need that fast service. They need to be able to call somebody to get a decision made.”
And being a community bank, Bank Florida offers that more hometown, friendlier service, White stressed.
“We know our customers. If we don’t, we get to know them,” he added.
The same philosophy is used with the bank’s employees. White said staff and their families are treated with dignity and respect and make the bank a good environment to work in.
“You do that because it’s the right thing to do,” White said. “The return on that pays dividends, because they (employees) treat your customers well. That’s the bottom line.”
The first Bank Florida branch was opened in Jupiter, Fla. It has since opened two other locations in Dade City and Kissimmee. White is currently working on a St. Cloud location. He hopes to have seven to eight locations within five years.
Bank Florida is a true community bank, White stressed. The bigger regional institutions will sometimes claim to be in their advertising.
“They like to talk that, but they can’t deliver,” White said. “They can’t walk the walk. We walk the walk.”
