Don't Talk Politics
Dustin, a Citigroup Inc. employee at a customer service center in San Antonio, fielded quite a few calls Thursday from the video-conferencing kiosk at the new Citi branch in Manhattan's Union Square — mainly from branch employees showing off the new technology during tours of the facility after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Toward the end of one such call, a familiar voice came on the line: "Dustin! How's the weather down there, Dustin?"
It was Citi CEO Vikram Pandit, who was on hand for the grand opening. He had taken the handset next to the large monitor near the wall of ATMs in the branch vestibule and observed Dustin on the screen. "I just want you to know you look great on TV, and people here are going to be really glad they spoke to you when they talk to you here," Pandit said.
We couldn't hear Dustin's response — Pandit had the handset to his ear — but it may have involved an invitation to the warm climate of the Texas Hill Country: Before hanging up, Pandit said he owed the San Antonio staff a visit sometime soon.
But for now Pandit will have to settle for a video-conferencing link when he wants to see Citi's San Antonio employees, just as Citi's Union Square customers do.
On Rise in Atlanta
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta on Thursday named W. Wesley McMullan its president and chief executive.
McMullan has worked at the bank since 1988, most recently as vice president and director of financial management.
"Wes has tremendous depth and breadth of knowledge managing the bank's balance sheet, financial operations, risk management and member services," said FHLB Atlanta Chairman Scott Harvard.
FHLB Atlanta general counsel Jill Spencer had been interim CEO since Richard Dorfman stepped down in April.
I.T. Is It, Execs Say
Technology posts are those financial companies are most eager to fill in 2011, according to a recent eFinancialCareers survey of hiring managers at banks, investment firms and other financial companies.
Technology talent is in high demand, they said, because of tougher regulatory scrutiny. Financial companies need more people who know how to develop and overhaul back-office technology platforms. eFinancial's job ads for technology jobs are up 75% year over year, with nearly 1,700 information technology job postings as of Thursday.
In the Northeast, people with technology and banking, trading or investing know-how are in short supply, eFinancial said.
Sales and wealth management jobs are the other two top categories for which financial companies are seeking recruits.
No Square Peg
Thomas W. Bunn, a former executive at KeyCorp's national bank, has joined the board of directors of SquareTwo Financial, a Denver company that helps automotive and health care companies recover bad loans.
Bunn joined Key in 2002 and was vice chairman of the Cleveland lender's national bank from 2005 to 2008. Before Key, he worked for 24 years at Bank of America Corp., where he rose to head of global debt capital markets.
Faint Praise
"Only slightly less likeable than average" might not be a title that any institution would aspire to. But when it comes to big bank customer satisfaction, that was more than enough for Wells Fargo & Co. to walk away with a top prize.
Earlier this week, the American Customer Satisfaction Index — a survey associated with the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business — released its 2010 data for banks. On a 100-point scale, banks on average scored 76, with community banks averaging 80. "Smaller banks, as usual, do better by their customers," the study said.
Among the country's largest institutions, underperformance was relative. Bank of America and Citigroup totaled 68 and 69 respectively, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. continued a two-year decline, making it the only member of the big four to lose ground. That left Wells, at 73 points, the study's big bank leader for the second year in a row.
"It's rewarding to be recognized for delivering a great customer experience while working through the largest bank merger in history and navigating through a challenging economic environment," Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf said in a press release — which omitted Wells C-grade score in favor of its top-notch cross-sell stats.
