Business Journal Q&A: Jamie Williams, Tamalpais Bank

Monday, July 6, 2009, 12:06 am

By Jenna V. Loceff, Business Journal Staff Reporter

Jamie Williams, president of Tamalpais Bank

SAN RAFAEL – Born and raised in Marin County, 20-year banking veteran Jamie Williams was recently named president of Tamalpais Bank.

Mr. Williams had served as the bank’s executive vice president and was instrumental in making the shift from retail-focused bank to a business bank.

In his role as president, Mr. Williams succeeds Mark Garwood, who will be continuing as chairman and chief executive officer.

Previously, Mr. Williams worked for Greater Bay Bancorp, Golden Gate Bank, Bank of Petaluma, Wells Fargo, Union Bank and Westamerica.

The bank recently switched to a California charter. The shift, Mr. Williams said, had a lot to do with the commitment to community.

Additionally, the bank restructured its credit department.

Tamalpais Bank earlier this year reported total assets at $698.6 million, up from $601.6 million at the end of the first quarter 2008. It continues to grow its wealth management services and offerings to high-net-worth clients through Tamalpais Wealth Advisors.

Mr. Williams spoke with the Business Journal about the changes, how they have impacted the bank and where the bank is headed in the future.

Q. Given the economic climate, why is this a good time to rethink the strategic goals of the bank?

A. The expanded and experienced management team, our growth in business loans and deposits, along with our shift in primary focus, puts us in a stronger position to navigate through this difficult economic period.

These strategic decisions and investments are important examples of the fundamental shift from previous years and bodes well for our future.

Q. With your new duties as president, how will your role look different than it has in the past?

A. In my new role as president, I’ll continue to focus on the expansion of the bank’s business banking strategy, as well as the management of the retail branches, operations, product development and marketing.

Q. Who have you brought on to help the bank with its new strategy?

A. As the bank increases its focus on small and medium-sized companies, we have hired several experienced in-market business bankers in the past year with direct experience working with Marin and Sonoma businesses. This has sent a strong message about the bank’s commitment to that segment of the market.

The breadth of each business banker experience ranges from 10 to 57 years.

Q. What are your plans for the bank longer term?

A. Continued growth of deposits and business loans, further growth in cash-management products and services and expansion to other Bay Area markets.

Q. You mentioned that the bank restructured the entire credit department. How has it changed, why did you do it and why do you think that will work?

A. For many years, Tamalpais Bank employed a traditional wholesale lending model, which involved mostly one-time loan transactions to various industries, using varied loan products. As we began our transition to a business bank, we made the decision to focus on relationship-based lending offering business loans, commercial real estate, commercial and industrial loans and deposit relationships.

A major part of the transition focused on hiring veteran bankers with commercial banking and business-to-business experience. Larry Cretan was hired as our chief credit officer with the primary responsibility of managing all lending activities.

Another key hire was Karol Watson, who has a strong loan operations background at larger regional banks and provides us with the senior management expertise to support our loan infrastructure. She has built a loan operations platform from which we can offer a broader range of business lending products.

With the former wholesale lending model, the loan transaction was the only component. The bank now offers broader relationships to commercial customers involving deposits, cash management and loan products.

Q. How was the decision reached to change the charter? Why do you think this will benefit the bank, its customers and Marin County?

A. Last fall, we converted from an industrial banking company to a state commercial bank. It was an important evolutionary step for our company. The company realizes increased investor recognition and greater access to capital markets, which benefits all our stakeholders including investors and businesses with lending needs.

Q. Tamalpais Bank has previously lent all over California. Where else did you lend, and why have you stopped?

A. Previously, the bank employed a wholesale lending model, which is a transaction-based and non-relationship-based model. We discontinued this approach and now practice relationship-based lending throughout the five-county San Francisco Bay Area, with concentration in Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma counties.

Relationship banking allows both the bank and the business to know each other, form trust and craft customized banking solutions. This is consistent with the staffing moves made in the last 18 months and the change to our brand platform.

Q. Where do you see the bank in ten years?

A. Our plan is to establish Tamalpais Bank as a strong local bank in the Bay Area with an expanded team of seasoned business bankers providing success for all stakeholders: customers, investors, employees and the communities we serve.

We continue to support community nonprofits and activities. Since our inception in 1991, the bank has allocated nearly $1.2 million to our Community Outreach Program. This allocation will continue to grow as the bank grows.

Q. What is the ultimate goal of all of the changes in the bank?

A. To be the best community bank in the markets we serve by delivering an outstanding overall banking experience and lasting relationships.

The change in focus is gradually widening the bank’s net interest margin and will continue to strengthen the company.

Q. What are you most proud of in terms of your accomplishments at Tamalpais Bank?

A. The bank is well-positioned to expand its commercial and retail banking success with a talented management team. The business banking focus and discipline, as well as our highly successful team of business bankers, has already resulted in many prominent businesses choosing Tamalpais Bank. In the past 18 months, we’ve increased the number and quality of our business banking and lending relationships, leading to growth in deposits and an improved net interest margin.

The bank’s corporate culture continues to attract talented employees with deep banking expertise as well as expertise in other corporate functions.