Brian Payne’s experience with INB extends well past the bank’s 20 years.
Illinois National Bank had existed under that name since the late 1800s, and Brian joined the original INB in 1982.
However, between 1988 and 1998, INB went through several mergers and acquisitions. Brian remained on staff through each of the acquisitions, staying on at National City Bank (now PNC).
In 1999, thanks to a group of investors, the new INB opened its doors. And as Brian became more dismayed with the bureaucracy of working at a large financial institution, he had an important conversation with Tom Gihl, COO of INB, in 2007.
“I recognized the opportunity to return to a bank where communication was clear and decisions could be made quickly. It was appealing to rejoin a group of successful, motivated and enjoyable people that I had worked with at the original INB,” says Brian, who is now SVP of INB’s Remittance Processing and Tech Services.
“I can still hear Tom telling me that it was INB’s desire to foster innovation and that decision-making was quick and decisive because of the local nature of our bank. Today, his words still resonate with me.”
Working Together to Achieve Goals
One word comes to Brian’s mind when asked to describe INB’s culture: family.
“It really is a pleasure working alongside my coworkers. Management develops and communicates a clear direction, and everyone helps each other to achieve our goals and provide the best possible experience for the customer,” he shares.
Brian has now worked in banking for 37 years and has witnessed massive change in the industry.
“Within remittance processing, we have embraced new scanning and recognition technologies that have delivered large amounts of data to our clients very quickly. The result has been decreased cost, more efficient operations and better cash flows,” he says. “But along with the convenience of technology has come increased fraud. We devote significant resources to keeping our clients’ accounts and data safe.”
Looking Ahead
For Brian, celebrating INB’s 20th anniversary is an opportunity to look back with pride, celebrate accomplishments and look ahead with anticipation.
“It’s a time to reflect on where we have been and how we have helped our customers achieve success,” he says. “It’s also a time to look ahead to the future and ask ourselves how we can continue to provide products and services that help people achieve that success.”
“I believe we are positioned to provide the service to generate success for ourselves and for our customers,” Brian adds. “We work hard to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies and participate on a national level in developing next generation banking products. I believe the future is bright.”