Rajinder Singh
BankUnited, Miami Lakes, Fla.
$24.7 billion of assets)
On managing growth:
"Sitting at my vantage point, the most important decision that I make [is]: Where is it that we want to grow and where is it that we don't want to grow?"
Linda Hamilton
Iroquois Federal Savings and Loan, Watseka, Ill.
$584 million of assets
Being a jack-of-all-trades:
"I can't even imagine not knowing about everything I know. As a COO you have to know it all."
Edward Willingham
First Citizens Bancshares, Raleigh, N.C.
$32 billion of assets
On hiring compliance specialists:
In "the evolving regulatory environment, just having the talent and the skill sets to do the deep analytical work, the model governance capabilities, the heightened compliance reporting, there's a pretty significant war for talent in this risk management space."
H. Lynn Harton
United Community Banks Inc., Blairsville, Ga.
$9.7 billion of assets
Working alongside the CEO:
"You've got to have extraordinary trust and communication between the CEO and the COO. Everybody wants to know that we're on the same page. It's a little bit like your parents. If they're aligned, then the kids feel confident. If you ever feel like they're going in different directions, it's not a good thing."
Mike Comer
Citizens National Bank, Sevierville, Tenn.
$939 million of assets
Post-M&A job security:
[In an M&A deal,] "If that [COO] is only focused on operations of the bank, I would think that that position could be more at risk. If that position is more focused on driving revenue and growth of the bank then that position has more opportunities for longevity."
Shelley Seifert
First Bank, Creve Coeur, Mo.
$6.1 billion in assets
On getting things done:
"The COO, to me, sits at the center of execution strategy. In my world, it's more about what do we need to do to be the bank that we aspire to be."
David Cline
State Bank and Trust, Atlanta
$3.5 billion of assets
Staying in the background:
"For myself and for some others that I know that are in that role, it's a different sort of personality" than being a CEO.
Randall Conte
MB Financial Bank, Chicago
$15 billion of assets
From ops to business lines:
"How I would define the title way back when is someone who's in charge of operations and IT functions within a bank. [Now], it's possible for a COO to have a role running businesses within a bank."