Independent Banker - December 2022 - 77

" We were driven
to start Trustar
Bank by customers
and employees
who wanted a
community bank
that best served
their needs rather
than relying on
larger institutions. "
-SHAZA ANDERSEN, TRUSTAR BANK
" To me, a
banking charter
is a tremendous
business delivery
system. We're
helping small
businesses who
meet our value
proposition, and
it's profitable. "
-KEN LAROE, CLIMATE FIRST BANK
" We have unique
generations of
clients who don't
speak the same
language, and
some will not
consider channels
that others will,
so it's about
being agile. "
-LAUREN SPARKS, AGILITY BANK
Community banks stepped up
for medium and small businesses
throughout the nation, helping to
save jobs and businesses.
Ken LaRoe: There's margin in
the mission. I think we make
more money because of our
value proposition. We're one
of the fastest-growing banks in
the country since 2017. Is that
because of our values proposition?
It's not in spite of it, I can assure
you that.
Lauren Sparks: Your bank should
be your trusted advisor to help
you navigate the opportunities
and tools out there. The key is
that the technology is part of the
relationship. Striking an artful
balance between technology and
relationship will bring customers
to your bank.
A mission-driven approach
puts community banks in a
unique position.
Andersen: The ability to be agile,
nimble and highly responsive is the
advantage that community banks
have. We know our customers, our
markets and the unique needs of both
better than anyone. Use that to your
advantage and create the best banking
experience possible.
LaRoe: And your staff is a key part
of it. For example, our CTO joined
us after reading about us in the
Tampa Bay Times. He worked for
a Silicon Valley firm and wanted to
join our bank because of our mission.
He wrote the code for us to do a
fully digitized solar loan program,
including AI decisioning. Now our
clients can complete an application
in two and a half minutes and have
an answer. Since we launched May 1
with the digital platform, we have
closed $8 million in solar loans.
Sparks: There's a lot of what we're
doing today that will change, because
we will learn from it. We have unique
generations of clients who don't speak
the same language, and some will not
consider channels that others will,
so it's about being agile. We have
the opportunity to keep reinventing
ourselves. It's a different world, and
it's exciting to be in banking now. 
Colleen Morrison is a writer
in Maryland.
ICBA offers resources
for de novo banks
To support de novo banks
in their early-stage journey,
ICBA offers resources to
guide the process, including
a three-year complimentary
membership. This membership
provides access to educational
opportunities, compliance
and risk resources, industry
toolkits, discounts with
Preferred Service Providers
and more.
For more information, visit
icba.org/denovo
independentbanker.org Q 71
http://www.icba.org/denovo http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - December 2022

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