American Chartered Reviews

Pros

Geared towards the clients of the bank. Better than one can say about most other banks where the Executive management answers to stockholders (This is a privately owned bank). The Human Resources department works very hard to ensure that you are making the most out of your benefits, including making sure you are in the best insurance plan for you. There are great incentives for those who work very hard and show an eagerness to learn anything new or beyond their natural position. Most co-workers are generally helpful and there is an overall sense of teamwork. Not sales orientated, much lower stress in terms of cross-selling. It's expected and encouraged, but failure to do so has little effect on salary. Very stable and very conservative bank, financial meltdown had little effect other than the lowering of interest rates on accounts and making it harder to secure loans. Maintained high liquidity.

Cons

Very difficult to move past certain levels, ie into management. A degree is not required however you need an extreme amount of experience in order to advance. The only decent insurance is the health insurance. The dental and vision plans are completely worthless and in the end pay for very little. It was cheaper to just get the eye exam without insurance then have the discount applied. Meaning total year premium plus the cost of the exam was more then if one did not have the vision plan to begin with. Reviews are often given late. Branch management has little to no idea what occurs daily in my department, therefore has difficulty being able to properly grade performance. Communication up and down the chain of command is also lax. Been caught completely unawares by things that were of high importance due to lack of communication.

Advice to Senior Management

Recognize the abilities of those under you and what their position truly entails. Do not assume that just because the position is lower than yours that it is not stressful at times. Also trust that your staff has the common sense to ensure that the banks policies are being properly carried out.

Pros

This is a company that prides itself on customer service and excellence in its field. Because of that the company as a whole puts a huge burden on the employees to keep the image. They have a decent benefits package and lots of overtime. The management staff is helpful yet training is so-so. The general atmosphere is light and airy as well as comfortable to work in. Co-workers and helpful to new staff members and unbiased. The location is wonderful for an operations department but if you live in Chicago expect to leave plenty early to be on time. Overall it is a nice and decent place to work if your home life isn't too complicated.

Cons

One of the biggest downsides that you might find at ACB is the way the department is structured. Every error counts against you even before you are told that it will. During my training period I had made errors as anyone would who is new to the field, yet even though the situation was remedied, the first few errors counted against me all the way till the end of my first year and I'm sure if I hadn't left it would have counted even beyond that. The hours for the lockbox department are great IF you don't have anywhere to go. The weekends started earlier than weekdays even including Sundays. The hours are long and hard and there is a lot of small time physical labor that adds up. You can talk about how sore you are all day long, and yet you will get no response.

Advice to Senior Management

I would advise that the lockbox department be executed in shifts. I would also recommend an assistant of some sort for the manager of the lockbox department.