Texas Partners Bank has announced the addition of Specialty Financing to their list of financial services for Central Texas businesses. Alan Smith, who was named as Executive Vice President of the new division, approaches specialty finance by focusing on understanding his clients’ needs, being consultative, and adding value to their businesses. With over 32 years of financial services experience at banks both large and small, Smith has learned the ins and outs of private banking and specialty finance, which has led to his success with The Bank of San Antonio and Texas Partners Bank.
While Smith and the rest of the Specialty Finance Group offer traditional banking, lending, and insurance services to their clients, they extend their focus to specialty areas, such as lending for corporate aircraft, managing quick-service restaurant accounts, and even financing large ranches. Smith describes specialty finance as “the traditional banking services, but it's more about the client than the product that we're offering.”
When working with clients, Smith takes a holistic, relationship-driven approach with the goal of providing long-term benefits for both the client and the bank rather than focusing on the short-term. “What gets me excited is when I'm approaching a deal, I don't really consider the transaction my first goal. That's an outcome. It's a by-product of establishing rapport and understanding truly what my client does and how they do it,” Smith says. “So, everything about getting to know my client and their business results in a deep relationship that ultimately allows whatever we set out to do finance-wise to just happen naturally.”
Being a regional bank like Texas Partners Bank is advantageous in Smith’s eyes. This allows the team to make decisions quickly and with a level of service that bigger banks cannot typically offer while maintaining the ability to provide resources that are not usually available at smaller banks. Smith says, “We are nimble. We are tactical. We can move quickly, while also having the resources and expertise of what you would find at a big bank. All the decisions are made here.”
Cleverly, Smith adds that Texas Partners Bank has the ability to “out-small the bigs and out-big the smalls,” which is central to the relationship-focused mentality he brings to specialty financing. The local decision-making power and the ability to provide concierge-level service without sacrificing resources is a core principle of how Texas Partners Bank operates on every level, and Alan Smith and the Specialty Finance Group embrace this approach to benefit their clients and their businesses.
