Introducing Bruce Irick, EVP Private Banking Manager
February 05, 2021
Bruce Irick’s relationship-first philosophy is at the center of his leadership as he directs the private banking team at The Bank of Austin. Irick came aboard in November 2020, bringing 30 years of private banking experience with banks both large and small. He’ll call on the experience of a highly-successful career to provide custom-tailored financial solutions to his clients.
Irick is confident that he and his team will provide services as comprehensive and effective as those offered by national banks, but with a level of personal service and community understanding that only a local bank can offer. With the recent merger of The Bank of Austin, The Bank of San Antonio, and Texas Hill Country Bank to form Texas Partners Bank, each of these individual banks offer clients even more resources and services to compete with national banks, while maintaining local focus by hometown management teams.
Irick’s two previous positions as the Regional Private Banking Manager at a national bank and the Market President at a smaller, regional bank gives him a unique perspective on private banking and the differences between national and local banks’ strengths and weaknesses.
Irick was drawn to The Bank of Austin by the opportunity to blend the best aspects of national and local banks to benefit his clients. He says, “What I like about The Bank of Austin is that we have a local board, shareholders, and our bankers really have the best interest of their clients in mind. The Bank of Austin combines the strengths of a big bank and a community bank to deliver best-of-class products within a local system.”
“What I like about The Bank of Austin is that ... our bankers really have the best interest of their clients in mind."
Putting the client first is what Irick believes brings success in private banking and he has put that philosophy into practice throughout his career. Irick says, “I like building a relationship with my clients to help them succeed financially on both sides of the balance sheet through collaborative and thoughtful financial planning.” That’s the most important part of the business to Irick.
To get to the heart of what a client needs requires a skill that many people claim to practice, but not everyone does successfully — listening. “The best thing we can do is really listen to our clients’ stories. That’s how we find out what they need, so we can guide them in the right direction,” says Irick, “Part of our job is to sit and visit with them, understand their goals and the "why" behind the goals.” Understanding the “why” for his clients and constructing financial plans based around that “why” is what makes Irick a great private banker.
“The best thing we can do is really listen to our clients’ stories. That’s how we find out what they need, so we can guide them in the right direction.”
Heading into 2021, Irick plans to help his clients take advantage of new opportunities as they occur because The Bank of Austin can discover and act on opportunities quickly. Irick says, “We can help our clients by acting fast, being consultative, and helping them build their business as we get out of 2020 and the challenges that were there. We can help discover opportunities and advise them to keep their powder dry and be ready to take advantage of those circumstances as they come up.”
Irick is the board treasurer of Ballet Austin and believes that being involved in the community, as many members of The Bank of Austin’s team are, is essential for building relationships within Austin’s business community and giving back to the city he loves. His years of financial experience, his client-first mentality, and dedication to his community make him a great leader for The Bank of Austin’s private banking division.