This month’s issue is all about home, and home is so much more than your physical house. It’s also your community and the places and people that give you that instant feeling of comfort. This is exactly the experience that Empire State Bank provides. So many Staten Islanders love to entrust Empire State with all of their financial affairs and call this their home bank. Read on to see why!
Staten Island City Lifestyle: What sets you apart from other banks?
Empire State Bank: We are dedicated to building lifelong relationships. We are able to provide premier service and personalized financial solutions as opposed to some other banks that don’t have that human touch. At Empire State, you will always be greeted and have a physical person there to assist you with anything you need. Our tagline is “We Take Your Business Personally.” We provide an individual personalized service. I think it’s because of this that our customers are very loyal. They are happy with their service and receive a 1 on 1 customer experience.
Staten Island City Lifestyle: I know how passionate you are about community. Do you want to elaborate on that and talk a little about why community is so important for you?
Empire State Bank: We are a community bank. We focus on the needs of local families and businesses because we love to see the community vibrant and growing. We support the communities where we live and work because community is all about the people. If you are supporting the people that make up the community and helping them grow it benefits everyone collectively. Our corporate headquarters is located right here in Staten Island, this is not only our home but it is the home of the bank as well.
Staten Island City Lifestyle: In our previous interview with your CEO, Phil Guarnieri. He mentioned how 2020 was a very impactful year for the bank. Anything that stuck out to you in particular during that time?
Empire State Bank: A lot of people were looking for PPP loans during that time. A lot of customers were being turned down by their banks because they weren’t getting the assistance they needed. They had questions about their applications and just wanted a human person to interact with in order to get the answers they needed. We turned into that place for them. Everyone was fighting for survival and we were able to save businesses that really needed the help while bringing in new clients that are now extremely loyal to us. It ended up being the silver lining in a difficult time.
Staten Island City Lifestyle: Why do you think you are able to provide support for these small businesses that bigger banks can’t?
Empire State Bank: A lot of these small businesses and start-ups have a really difficult time getting loans from larger banks. Here we know the marketplace, our business reps are local, they are very invested and this is something that a lot of the larger banks skip over. We really work with them to achieve their goals and add a more personalized experience. I think we do a really great job of catering to that whereas in a larger bank they feel that they are being looked over.
