Houston bank puts its money where its mouth is

Texas Citizens Bank started the same way most successful businesses start: with a need.

“We felt like large corporations were generally serviced pretty well and the general populous was serviced well, but there was a niche for ownermanaged and operated businesses. These owners needed a partner that would understand their business and respond quickly. From day one, it’s always been about owner managed businesses,” said chairman and CEO Duncan Stewart.

Following the financial crisis of 2008, many banks tightened up, becoming rigid in their structures. Quality bankers felt frustrated. Loyal customers felt confused.

Suddenly, bankers were asking customers to work around their bank’s now limited options, instead of making good on promises to work around the business.

Texas Citizens Bank saw this as an opportunity.

Since 2006, Texas Citizens Bank has continued to invest in people and relationships. Texas Citizens Bank doesn’t hire “lenders,” it hires “relationship managers,” opting to play the role of advisor rather than vendor.

“We wait on you, not the other way around,” said Stewart. “We meet weekly on loan decisions. If a loan requires a quicker turn, we can often call everyone together in a matter of minutes.”

In addition to speed, Texas Citizens Bank offers technology beyond what you’d expect. Customers enjoy mobile and desktop access to online banking through the bank’s website portal and mobile apps.

Like the big banks, the online banking platform includes balance, history, bill pay, mobile check deposit, transfers, and more.

The bank’s treasury management services extend that list with impressive a la carte business offerings. One of the most popular of these services among business customers is Remote Deposit Capture.

“We love Remote Deposit [Capture],” said Angela Gonzalez, DDS and owner of a dental office in Nassau Bay, Artistic Smiles. “Normally, someone has to take the deposit to the bank every day. Now, they just run checks through the scanner and that’s it. No line, you can do it whenever you want, as many times as you want. And you can close it out any time before four. So the staff loves it, and I love it.”