Explain the Capital Markets Group , Scott, and the responsibilities of your position.
The Capital Markets Group was founded by Byron Thompson in 1985 to help community banks around the country find value for their deposits when loan demand is not at its peak. In times like this, they look to fixed-income markets for income. Our focus is fixed-income bond sales for institutional clients, providing tailored products and timely consultation to meet their investment needs. Through our subsidiary, Asset Management Group, we assist banks with interest-rate risk reporting. We also have the capacity to serve other industries—insurance companies, corporations, high net worth individuals—but roughly 90% of our business is with community banks.
We are one of the few bank dealers in the country. We’re regulated by the Federal Reserve Bank and Missouri Division of Finance, so I believe our message and outreach as a community bank really connect us with our community bank clients. They understand we're under the same regulatory constraints they are, and it’s really what separates us from a broker-dealer. We share the same DNA, and that resonates with our bankers. It’s about the handshake and knowing they can pick up the phone any day at any time and speak with our talented team of investment officers. We are a community bank that comes to the aid of other community banks to help our friends in the industry.
I manage and oversee the sales team and trading personnel and focus on our outreach and marketing in the states we operate in, making sure we are out there doing what we're supposed to be doing in this space, doing it efficiently and within regulatory requirements. First and foremost is ensuring we're serving our customers in a way that only we can do.
How did you get into the field?
I was a finance major in college. I entered the field through investment accounting, which led me to derivatives and hedging, and then I became a portfolio manager and trader. My time with the Federal Home Loan Bank in Dallas gave me an opportunity to work with other community banks, managing liquidity and helping to meet the needs of their individual balance sheet. My role with Country Club Bank is a culmination of my experience in fixed income and working with banks and their balance sheet needs. Our team is very dedicated and passionate about working with institutional clients by providing value through our products and services.
What attracted you to Country Club Bank?
What attracted me most was how Byron Thompson described the mission of the organization to me during my interview. I saw an opportunity to work with an outstanding team and build on what was already in place at Country Club Bank. It seemed like a great fit and an awesome opportunity to work with great people in an industry I love. The mission of working for other community banks—to help them with their balance sheet needs—was a perfect fit.
Tell us about your career progression during your years at Country Club.
What I do and am responsible for hasn’t really changed—working together with our team and improving our products, services and outreach remains my focus. We continue to strive to be more efficient in how we do our business and serve our clients. We’ve introduced new technology to our division during the decade I've been here and that helps ensure we're in the right markets, growing our footprint to engage new clients to work with. I continue to strive to grow our outreach, awareness of who we are and what we do in an effort to increase the number of institutions we serve.
You've been at CCB for a decade. What keeps you here?
Our people and our mission, most definitely. What we do and how we serve our clients is so very special. Every organization I've been with has offered access to capital markets. I've seen how some of the larger shops operate, and I know how we operate. The level of professionalism and integrity we bring to this space is very important to me, and it's important to who we are as a bank. It’s very special; it's very unique. We're not transaction driven; we’re very much relationship driven. That's what keeps me at Country Club Bank. We do what we do well.
What advice would you give other associates for achieving success at Country Club Bank?
Be a team player and a positive voice in your area of the organization. Respect is everything, internally and externally. If you are a contributing part of a great team atmosphere, and you're all tugging on the same rope, you will enjoy what you do while moving the organization in the right direction. It’s also very important for growing professionally so you can share ideas and empower each other to be the best professionals you can be.
Be sure to view our recent video about the Capital Markets Group below.
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