A while ago, INB’s mortgage department faced a growing concern: how to minimize the risk tied to handling physical promissory notes and make the process less stressful for customers.

Previously, the closing used to take an hour, with a big stack of documents dropped in front of the customer, so “it was a bit intimidating,” says Gregg Formigoni, SVP, Mortgage Lending at INB. 

The team brainstormed how to deliver documents electronically to our customers before the closing date, giving them time to read and review everything in advance.

That’s when Jon Filbrun personally took on the challenge and “changed the way we do business,” Gregg shares. Jon piloted the very first successful test of a mortgage e-note.

An e-note is an electronic version of a promissory note that is signed, transferred and managed digitally – all with a “seal” to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. Now most of INB’s mortgage loan documents can be signed online, so when home buyers come to the closing table, it only takes 10 minutes.

“We were impressed by how Jon’s creativity and problem-solving broke through barriers,” Gregg says. “Changing the status quo is never easy, and it took persistence, training and research to pull this off properly.”

Collaboration Brings Creativity

Jon’s initiative demonstrates one of INB’s Core Values in action: Creative. Each of our Core Values lay the foundation for a culture that encourages collaboration, facilitates innovation and guides our strategic priorities. Our other values include Teamwork, Assertive and Enthusiastic, Working Smart, Caring and Balance.

Creativity at INB can be found in the obvious places: the new social media campaign by the marketing team or the innovative software solution implemented by the IT department.

But creativity runs much deeper than that, quietly powering our daily tasks and project execution. Across virtually every department every day, employees are encouraged to think differently and try new approaches when it comes to internal process improvements or making our customers’ banking experience just a little bit easier and more seamless. 

Creativity = Fun = Success

“Creativity is important because it can make our jobs easier and more fun,” says Amanda Donley, INB Chatham Branch Manager. “It allows us to think outside the box and gives us flexibility in parts of banking when banking can be black and white with the policies and regulations that we must follow.”

Amanda recalls how creativity helped fuel a successful referral campaign at the branch level. As the campaign launched, branch teams were encouraged to consistently thank customers for banking with INB and invite them to refer friends or family.

Karyssa Pedersen, Branch Manager at INB Wabash, saw an opportunity to streamline the process. She created a detailed, easy-to-use spreadsheet that tracked the number of referral slips handed out at each branch, making the campaign a fun, lighthearted competition. The branch with the most referrals won a prize.

“It was nice that Karyssa used her imagination and created the spreadsheet that made it easier for us,” Amanda says. “It was extremely helpful for tracking!”

You might not think of creativity when it comes to a numbers-focused industry like banking. But at INB, creativity comes in many forms, from tech innovation to a well-designed spreadsheet. And no matter where it shows up, the focus is the same: better tools, stronger teams and exceptional service for our customers.