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Some banks are looking past the short-term economic challenges and betting on a small-business recovery. Here's how executives from Bank of America, PNC, U.S. Bancorp and others assessed the market at SourceMedia's recent Small-Business Banking conference. (Image: Shutterstock)
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Most Profitable

"A small-business owner that has its operating accounts with us, that borrows from us, and that uses a suite of treasury management products is our most profitable client." - Citizens Republic (CRBC) Chief Executive Cathleen Nash

(Image: Dan Nelken)
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Stop Product Pushing

"This cannot be just about what we want to sell. You have got to dig underneath and understand the client's industry, their business, and have a conversation about where their pain points are." - Ginger Siegel, an executive vice president of business banking at PNC Financial Services (PNC)
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Phone Home

"You can manage 400 to 600 clients on your phone, or you can manage 100 to 150 by jumping in your car and driving around." - David Tremblay, business development and strategy executive of the client development group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

(Image: Shutterstock)
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Video Chats

"Big banks can do this. This was not easy; it took tenacity and not caring what people are saying behind your back." - Harry Ferreira, head of small business banking at Bank of New Zealand, on its videoconferencing strategy.

(Image: Shutterstock)
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Going Gray

"Our larger-size competitors usually had very inexperienced bankers assigned to [the small-business] segment. We had bankers with 20 to 25 years experience. Sometimes having gray hair does pay off." - Nash.

(Image: Shutterstock)
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Steady, Not Flashy

"Small business is like the Toyota Corolla. It runs forever and everyone thinks it's OK. .. It's not sexy." - Kent Stone, an executive vice president with U.S. Bancorp (USB)

(Image: Bloomberg News)
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Many Challenges

Small-business owners have "already been thrown a number of things," including Hurricane Sandy. "We know in the industry overall, demand even just for lending has been down." - Siegel.

(Image: Shutterstock)
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