Spectrum 9-04 - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

BUSINESS
The Spectrum • Redwood City’s Monthly Magazine
First National: ‘Doing
Right’ by their clients
The team at First National Bank, including branch manager Brian Palter (far left), believes in going the extra mile for customer service. Photos by Steve Penna.
Emphasis on personal and
community service puts El
Camino bank into top tier
Brian Palter believes in doing right by his clients. Palter, branch man
ager for the past three years at the Redwood City location of First
National Bank of Northern California, believes in the philosophy of
treating each customer with the utmost attention. This individualized approach
is a hallmark of the 11 San Mateo County locations of First National
and has gone a long way in helping keep the bank healthy.
"When we have a new client and do right by them," he said, "they tell others."
Doing right by a client, whether old or new, requires taking extra steps in situations
which nationwide chains might not choose to take. In one particular case Palter cited, a
woman who had difficulty writing a check at a local retailer came into First National upset.
She was comforted by a customer service representative and the issue was resolved. She
later returned with a potted tulip plant and presented it to the bank as a gift of gratitude.
By Nino Marchetti, Special to The Spectrum
ness, can also open checking accounts, obtain credit cards and do their banking online.
First National also offers options like commercial refinancing, construction loans, and business
lines of credit.
None of these services mean anything, however, if the bank doesn't see customers
continuing to come through the doors. First National Bank of Northern California works
Continued on Next Page
First National Bank of Northern California offers a variety of personalized services
for both consumers and businesses. On the consumer side, services include free checking,
debit cards, home equity loans, certificates of deposit, online banking and bill pay.
Business owners, which constitute roughly half of the bank's current overall busi-
22 • February 2005
First National Bank is one of the few locally that still offer drive-through banking.