The recession is over and business is better—although there’s still room to argue about how much improvement can be seen for banks and their customers here.
So the Business Journal’s Jane Yu asked OC bankers: Where do you see the economic recovery, and how does it affect the bank’s plans for this year?
Allen Staff
Orange County market president, Bank of America
We see continued economic recovery—not as fast as we would all like, but at a steady pace. We see recovery in all consumer and business segments, with some areas moving at a faster clip than others.
While the housing market is slowly getting better, the commercial real estate market has demonstrated significantly increased activity and growth. There have been a lot of trades and capital flows to commercial real estate, and we have experienced more loan demand and funding for that business segment than in prior years.
The level of funding more than doubled in 2012 over 2011 levels. In expectation of the continued commercial real estate recovery, we have growth plans for 2013 in our lending business and will be adding to our work force to serve our commercial real estate clients’ needs.
In addition, as the small-business segment in Orange County continues to recover, Bank of America [has recently hired] two dozen small-business bankers. They are well positioned across the county to continue meeting face to face with thousands of small-business owners at their places of business to support their unique needs. The ‘small-business banker network’ in Orange County significantly increased new lending, credit, and account openings to clients in its first year on the ground, and already has a robust pipeline of opportunities for the first quarter of 2013.
Stephen Gordon
Chief executive, Opus Bank
There’s clearly a recovery under way. I think it’s picking up momentum. Confidence is building.
It seems like the last handful of years, everyone was looking for excuses to not do anything. It’s not like the interest-rate environment is going to dramatically change this year, [nor will the] political climate change all that much, either. So that means all you can do is focus on the things you do have control over.
That’s causing businesses to get back to work. It’s causing real estate investors to be more active. We’re positioned to stick ourselves in the middle of that, with a lot of capital and a good-sized balance sheet.
We’re going to slow down new-branch growth. We still have branches we’ll be opening this year, including one in Rancho Santa Margarita in June or July. But it’s not going be at the same pace as it was [in] 2012. We now have a footprint from which to scale up.
There will be a very strong expansionary effort around commercial business banking in general. But we’re also going to be expanding certain business lines, [such as] services for property management companies, homeowners associations and title firms.
We’ve got a strong technology banking [group] that will continue to lend. And we’re going to be expanding some of the creative services we’ve been doing, such as mergers and acquisitions, and senior debt financing.
I think OC is still going to have some of the same challenges it had in 2012. But I think confidence is on the increase, and there’s a tremendous amount of opportunities—and a lot of us are taking advantage of that. When we look at California, the coastal communities are doing better than the Inland Empire or the Central Valley. Recovery there hasn’t taken place as quickly as [in] the coastal regions. And somehow, long term, Southern California and OC have to find a way to be less real estate-centric, real estate-reliant. That doesn’t mean less activity. It just means growth and expansion of other things that impact the economy.
Scott Kavanaugh
Chief executive, First Foundation Bank
Overall, I feel like the economy has bottomed out, and we will be in an extended period of slow growth through this year and next. Global and national challenges will remain, with some of the issues going on in Europe and here with Congress.
Locally, I would say that housing, which is a big component of California, has stabilized. Values have begun to increase, and lower inventory levels exist. Some of the small businesses out there are still struggling to find their base. For the most part, our client base seems to be hanging in there.
Another thing is that the regulatory environment remains challenging for banks in general. And a low-rate environment just brings an additional burden of [compliance-related] expenses.
First Foundation Bank is also a wealth management platform. We do investment management, consulting and financial planning. Our focus has been on high-net-worth individuals and their businesses. Starting early last year, we began to notice a trend of those clients shifting their residency outside of California, looking for alternative trusts away from the state. So we have taken steps to secure Nevada “trust powers.” That’s probably the biggest thing we have on our plate this year. There are some compelling reasons to be in Nevada that we think are advantageous. So we expect to have a fully functioning office in Las Vegas by the first half of second quarter.
Henry Walker
President, Farmers & Merchants Bank
We are in the midst of a long, protracted period of slow growth and low interest rates. Despite the recent surge in the stock market, persistently high unemployment rates and slow economic growth continue to hamper recovery in the near term. However, amid this uncertainty, we have seen signs of life in the form of real estate acquisitions, business expansion and capital investment. The end result is a fiercely competitive environment where banks must work hard to earn the trust and business of each and every customer.
Farmers & Merchants Bank is proactively responding to this reality in three ways:
First, we are focused on serving as an integral partner to businesses as they look to expand by providing safe and secure loans with low interest rates.
Second, we are embracing technology, not as a means of replacing human contact, but enhancing it. We are currently engaged in an extensive technology initiative that has seen the deployment of new ATM machines, a commitment to the highest levels of security and fraud protection, and the launch of a new mobilebanking app. Customers are savvy, self-sufficient and sophisticated. However, the need for human interaction and personal service can never be overlooked. This philosophy is what guides us as we aim to provide the convenience and sophistication of a large, national bank with the service and personal touch that stands as the backbone of community banking.
Finally, we are focused on deepening relationships with existing customers and gaining the business of new customers through our time-tested dedication to good old-fashioned hard work. We aim to achieve this through an integrated focus on state-of-the-art products, leading-edge technologies, and knowing our customers on a first-name basis. My great-great-grandfather founded F&M in 1907. I believe that while both the world and the banking climate have changed drastically, the core values of honesty, integrity and service will always be in our DNA.
Todd Hollander
Executive vice president, Head of Business Banking Union Bank N.A.
The overall economic outlook for 2013 is stronger now with the ‘fiscal cliff’ behind us. Housing is a bright spot, and exports, a key factor behind the growth of manufacturing, is being watched closely.
Our plans for the year are aggressive as we continue to serve the needs of the privately held businesses in our markets, [as well as] their owners and employees.
The low-rate environment gives businesses the opportunity to invest at historically low cost. We are continuing to safely and responsibly expand our assistance to the business community. During 2012, we booked a total of $132 million in new business loans to small businesses in Orange County, and we anticipate increasing business lending in OC by at least 35% in 2013. We have been in this community for a long time and have never been more dedicated to the long-term success of the area.
Patty Juarez
Senior vice president, North OC regional manager, Wells Fargo Bank
Over the last several years, we have seen middle-market companies do a lot of “belt-tightening” given the economic downturn. We have seen significant expense reductions, personnel layoffs, and capital investments put on hold by companies in order to preserve cash and/or curb losses.
However, last quarter, middle-market business activity [reflected] a gradual and steady uptick. Our loans grew double digits from the previous quarter. Based on that trend, I am optimistic about 2013, and expect that the health of our customers and prospects will continue to improve this year.
I see that companies are hiring and making longer-term investments; applications for equipment leases and purchases are up, which signals in-creased confidence, a change from the past few years. Right now financing terms are optimal for companies. They are able to lock in very low term rates, as well as equipment and real estate loans.
[Loan growth at Wells Fargo’s commercial-banking group last year] was driven by changing tax laws. This uncertainty caused a bit of a flurry for companies to position themselves advantageously. With less uncertainty on the horizon, many businesses are in better financial shape. The last few years have left them lean and well poised to take advantage of a recovery.
I expect that we will continue to see more signs of a recovery than what we saw in 2012, but the gains this year will likely be modest.
David Blackford
Chief executive, California Bank & Trust
We are optimistic about the business climate in Orange County and other major metropolitan areas in California. While the recovery has been slow, it does appear to be picking up speed.
In Orange County, we see improvement in residential and commercial real estate values and sales activity. There is also noticeable improvement in select industries such as technology, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services.
Orange County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state at 6.8% in December, compared to California in aggregate at 9.8%. It’s our expectation that the unemployment rate will continue to drop at a slow-to-moderate pace.
The stronger economic climate is resulting in an increase in the demand for credit. Demand has also been driven by consumers and businesses refinancing existing debt to take advantage [of] historically low interest rates. Loan balances increased moderately in 2012, with the majority of this growth during the fourth quarter. We expect this trend to continue into 2013.
