M&T Bank Reviews

Pros

Strong track record of success, with hard working employees.

Cons

Culture strongly discourages innovation, relying on past success to help them into the future. Company is very slow to adopt new ideas, requiring everyone around the table to agree before anything can move forward. Culture is hardworking, and everyone is looking for others to mess up, and when that happens, the vultures circle around.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve your ability to embrace change, or get left behind.

Pros

Great management support. Solid management team with a strong focus on growth hence opportunities for professional growth likely to increase. Respect for employees and encourage work

Cons

Should invest in updating tech infrastructure. Decision making at the midlle management level can be unnecessarily painful as people are over cautious.

Advice to Senior Management

Its time to start focusing on investments growth markets. There is the need for greater visibility of management team to employees outside of Western New York.

Pros

Management is compentent, I've always been encouraged to grow within the bank, management takes the time to meet with employees regarding career opportunities, good work life balance

Cons

compensation isn't what it is at other institutions, internal processes are fragmented, communication between divisions needs improvement

Advice to Senior Management

Ensure that policies such as corporate title changes and compensation are that same bankwide

Pros

The management promotes a good work life balance

Cons

They expect a lot and get the most out of every employee

Advice to Senior Management

Keep focusing on making M&T the best place our employees ever work

Pros

M&T is a solid financial institution that is managed well. The company is a large regional bank within the northeast part of the US, and has name recognition in some markets like Buffalo, NY and Baltimore, MD. The company strives to excel in customer service and really treats its customers well.

Cons

The company does not promote from within. The areas with smaller marketshare have a severe disadvantage when trying to compete with much larger regional banks. The pay is on the lower end of the scale as far as banks go. There isn't much room for advancement unless you want to move to Buffalo.

Advice to Senior Management

Work to promote from within, you have lost several great employees over the last few years to larger banks who were willing to promote with titles (i.e. Officer, AVP, VP, etc) and also job roles (Banker to ASM, ASM to Manager). No employee will be happy in a stagnant work environment. Some branch managers even seem to try to prevent their employees from moving up in the company for fear of losing the employee themselves through a transfer to another branch or department.

Pros

Great regional management, Great benefits package including Tuition reimbursement, 401k match, and employee banking discounts. M&T has large market share in area and are very competitive in terms of product pricing. Sales culture is aggressive, but they do not break you.

Cons

They do not pay their top performers as much as competition and it is resulting in attrition. Buying up failing banks, resulting in influx of poor performers from other institutions. Seem to have trouble getting rid of under performers for whatever reason.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your talent before it leaves! Lot of attrition from tellers all the way to branch managers due to lower than average pay. M&T is cutting costs left and right, but it may be catching up to them now.

Pros

Large Corporation with great operations but outsiders will not be considered as change agents.

Cons

Department leaders are feeding off ideas from new comers to boost their career while keeping them from getting the credit they deserve: As a result, new comers are seen as outsiders and cannot really grow salary and/or position.

Advice to Senior Management

M&T Bank is an exciting place to work and it's managed with great professionalism. However, if someone has just 2-3 years experience with the bank, he/she will be seen as an outsider and will not be able to progress normally. If you don't have 13 years and more with the bank, forget about salary increases and/or growing: you'll be waiting while dept directors (insiders) are getting credit from your ideas and efforts.

Pros

- Conservative banking culture, very stable
- Senior Management very dedicated to the Buffalo area
- Realistic benefits package, decent paid time off

Cons

- Departmental management is very threatened by skillful employees
- After 10 years of service you are still one of the "newbies"
- Limited career advancement potential
- "Employee Engagement" is used as a tool to determine management performance, therefore it is wielded as a weapon against employees if departmental ratings are poor
- Very little chance at decent salary increases, unless you are a "favorite"
- Middle management unresponsive or oblivious to the problems within departmental management

Advice to Senior Management

This company has the potential to be so much more than it currently is. I was once incredibly proud to say that I was an employee of M&T Bank. There are problems within your departmental management that are pandemic throughout the organization. The divisive nature of their relationships and the adversarial tone between departments makes it harder to return each day. There are current employees at the bank afraid to speak their mind and quietly biding time until they leave for fear of the retribution against them if they speak out. Something needs to change or you will continue to lose the talent that you invest so heavily to attract.

Pros

They have a fair benefits package

Cons

This company gives unattainable goals to low level employees

Advice to Senior Management

Instead of always being on a witch hunt give out a few accolades.

Pros

Management gives you consistent feedback on performance and encourages career advancement.

Cons

-Sometimes technology is not most up to date

Advice to Senior Management

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