Anderson Bank

Local Banking, Local Home Lending by Melissa LaScaleia Anderson Brothers Bank is a local institution that was founded in the early 1930s, when tobacco farmers needed financing for their crop. During the recession, there wasn’t an option for farmers to secure funding, so the Anderson family offered it to them out of the back of an old tobacco warehouse in Marion County.  From these humble beginnings, Anderson Brothers Bank has grown into a full service community bank with over thirty locations from North Myrtle Beach to as far south as Summerville, and inland to Florence. They carry all the products and conveniences that you’d expect from a national bank, but also offer the personalized service that can only be derived from building relationships with their clients.  Just as it was almost a century ago, today, Anderson Brothers Bank is still locally owned and run by the Anderson family. The third generation team includes: David Anderson as CEO and president, Tommy Anderson as vice president, and Neal Anderson as the chairman of the board.  Tim McCoy is the vice president of the mortgage banking division, a role he’s held for the past ten years of his twenty-three years working in this industry. The Anderson Brothers Bank mortgage division provides home lending services to Horry County residents and the surrounding areas, offering a variety of options designed to make home ownership as affordable as possible.  “In the past ten years, I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in our bank in general,” Tim says. “But particularly within our mortgage department. Today we’re one of the biggest mortgage lenders in Horry County and the surrounding areas. And that growth I attribute to the vision, leadership, and commitment of David Anderson.  “The Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and also the country, which is a contributing factor in our growth. But we also develop a lot of relationships with local real estate agents and companies, and many new relationships are built via word of mouth. We’ve developed a really good reputation as time has passed. People say they know who Anderson Brothers Bank is. And a lot of our success comes from building those relationships and that reliability.”  The mortgage industry is different from regular banking in the way business is conducted— secondary markets are involved. So navigating this arena requires a skill set that’s separate from regular banking. To grow in this market, for the first five years or so, David focussed the bank’s efforts on recruiting a stellar team of loan officers, processors, and underwriters— people who have the qualifications and specializations required to be a success in their industry.  “We focussed on hiring good people,” Tim says. “We did it gradually, and then put infrastructure in place so we can maintain that level of operations. Now everything is done locally, which allows us to communicate better with customers and operate more efficiently than a national bank.”  “It’s also about the repoire we have with the community. They work conjointly those two things— getting the right people and the right reputation. I believe we have the right leadership in place to allow that to happen. David likes to say: ‘Whether you’re a branch manager or processing manager, run it like you own it.’ He gives us the tools we need to succeed, and wants us to take pride in what we accomplish.”  That managerial style goes hand in hand with Anderson Brother’s philosophy— to be the bank where employees love to work and customers love to do business.  “Nowadays, all banks are highly competitive with interest rates,” Tim says. “So when shopping around for a home mortgage loan, really the differentiator is customer service. In the past three to five years, we’ve really taken off. Today we are one of the biggest local lenders.  “We are always in search of a variety of new products and finding the right products, to be as competitive in the market as possible.  “I’ve also seen a switch in customer preferences— whereas previously people tended to opt for bigger banks, now they are electing to do business with community banks because they understand that we carry the same level of security and guarantees, and they really enjoy what we have to offer personally.”  Anderson Brothers Bank Globe Map-marked-alt Facebook Phone

Anderson Brothers Bank is a local institution that was founded in the early 1930s, when tobacco farmers needed financing for their crop. During the recession, there wasn’t an option for farmers to secure funding, so the Anderson family offered it to them out of the back of an old tobacco warehouse in Marion County.

Treating Customers Like Family by Melissa LaScaleia Anderson Brothers Bank is a full service community bank offering a complete range of competitive loan services and deposit products. They trace their roots back to the 1930s, when tobacco farmers needed financing for their crops. During the Great Depression, there wasn’t an option for farmers to secure funding, so the Anderson family offered it to them out of the back of an old tobacco warehouse in Marion County. Over the years, the bank has evolved— blending the elements of traditional personal service, local market awareness, and advanced technology to meet the financial needs of its customers. They have all the services that a larger corporate bank has, including 24 hour ATMs, online and mobile banking, credit card options, and investment services— but with small-town benefits. “We’re still a local bank with local decision making; that’s how I would define us today,” says Bryan Lenertz, the Horry County area executive for Anderson Brothers Bank. “We have an ownership culture; which means we empower our customer service team to handle the requests of our customers quickly, and hopefully, on the spot.  “But if not, our employees will stay with you because they care, getting you to the right person. At our bank, people are more than just numbers, and everyone who works here ensures that that’s a reality.” Anderson Brothers Bank is both a conventional bank offering a suite of commercial deposit services (like cash management, RDC, bill pay, etc.); commercial loans of all sizes; and home mortgages. They are also a consumer lender, and offer home, auto and personal loans to customers with credit scores as low as 550. “We do way more consumer lending than pretty much any other bank, providing lending services for people who may not be able to get loans elsewhere, just as we did from the beginning,” Bryan says. “36% of our loans are non-real estate consumer loans, both auto and personal. We help the average consumer way more than the average bank does, and it’s something that we’re proud of.” Heads of the Anderson Brothers Bank location on Grissom Parkway, from left to right: Debbie Guyette, loan officer; Bryan Lenertz, Horry County area executive; Holly West, branch manager. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) Just as it was almost a century ago, today, Anderson Brothers Bank is locally owned and closely managed by the Anderson family. The third generation team includes: David Anderson as president and CEO, Tommy Anderson as vice president, and Neal Anderson as the chairman of the board. Bryan has been working for Anderson Brothers for the past eight years, and oversees eight branches throughout the region. He chose to work for Anderson Brothers after meeting David, the president. “He was forward thinking, with new ideas, and thinking outside the box,” Bryan says. “It’s a really neat bank to work at because Mr. Anderson isn’t a micro manager. He gives people the space to make their own decisions, and if you make a mistake, it’s seen as an opportunity for growth, to do something differently next time. There’s a lot of freedom and autonomy to do your job and try to do it well in your own way. As a result of that, each of our branches has a slightly different feel. All of them still offer the same excellent service, they just have a different feel relative to their geographic location, and who works there. “Banks are so regulated now, that really what sets them apart is the people. Knowing that, we try to hire the best possible people with great personalities, who are personable and caring.”  Anderson Brothers Bank was voted Best Bank 2019 by the Horry Independent Readers’ Choice Awards; Pee Dee’s Best Financial Institution, Financial Planner, and Mortgage Company in 2018 and 2019; and they were ranked amongst the top three in Forbes’ List of America’s Best In-State Banks for South Carolina in 2018. “Just like any other local business, we give you personalized attention,” Bryan says. “But because we are small, we have more invested in serving you to the best of our ability because our success depends on your patronage, and our local focus ensures that we can give you that quality of attention that a larger bank can’t. We can deal with things differently, and make decisions based on local market knowledge, and at a more personal level. At a big bank they have to do everything by the book, there’s very little leeway. You have to qualify in all their criteria.” “When you’re considering your money and financial decisions, it’s important to trust who is serving you,” he adds. “It’s important for you to know that the problems, issues, and questions you have will be handled one-on-one— versus calling someone on the phone in a different state, where you’re treated more like a number rather than a person. I’ve worked at both; so I know this firsthand.”    The bank offers more consumer lending options for people with credit scores as low as 550 than any other bank in its class. Anderson Brothers Bank was ranked amongst the top three banks in a Forbes ranking for South Carolina in 2018. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) Supporting your local bank helps support the local economy too. Anderson Brother’s employees are local, and a part of the same cultural environment as the patrons that they serve. “We don’t hire our employees on financial ability alone,” Bryan says, “we hire them based on their people skills as well, which is just as important. I want to make sure the customer is taken care of. That helps to differentiate us from a lot of other banks.”  “Our staff is very involved in community events,” Bryan adds. “They tell us what they’re doing each weekend to help their neighborhoods.” Some of the things their employees do are support the local chapters of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, the United Way, and the Rotary Club. They participate in the annual Ground Zero … Read more

A Hometown Local Bank With Plenty of Tech Savvy by Melissa LaScaleia Anderson Brothers Bank is a local institution that began back in the early 1930s, when tobacco farmers needed financing for their crop. During the recession, there wasn’t an option for farmers to secure funding, so the Anderson family offered it to them out of the back of an old tobacco warehouse in Marion County.  From these humble beginnings, Anderson Brothers Bank has evolved into a full service community bank, with twenty-three branches from North Myrtle Beach to as far south as Summerville and inland to Florence, with everything that you’d expect from a modern day bank— 24 hour ATMs, online banking, and an advanced mobile app.  They opened their newest branch in the spring of 2017 in the Market Common, and hope to unveil their twenty-fourth location in the Murrells Inlet area this year.  The bank has had a temporary headquarters on Oleander Drive for the past five years; they are currently constructing a branch on Grissom Parkway which will be the new center for the Myrtle Beach area— set to open in April 2019.  “We’re excited about this because it’s going to be similar in construction, offerings, and feel to the recently opened Market Common branch,” says Bryan Lenertz, Horry County executive for the bank. “It will be inviting and customer engaging, with a coffee bar and the latest technology.”  Bryan Lenertz (left) stands with David Anderson (right), the bank’s president and CEO, outside the Market Common branch. — Photo Meganpixels Parker Just as it was almost a century ago, today, Anderson Brothers Bank is locally owned and run by the Anderson family. The third generation team includes: David Anderson as president, Tommy Anderson as vice president, and Neal Anderson as the chairman of the board.  Bryan Lenertz has been working for Anderson Brother’s Bank for the past seven years, overseeing eight branches throughout the region. He chose to work for Anderson Brothers after meeting David, the president.  “He was progressive, with new ideas, and a thinking-outside-the-box mindset,” Bryan says. “It’s a really neat bank to work at because Mr. Anderson isn’t a micro manager. He gives people the space to make their own decisions, and if you make a mistake, it’s seen as an opportunity for growth, to do something differently next time.  “There’s a lot of freedom and autonomy to do your job and try to do it well in your own way. As a result, each of our branches has a slightly different feel. All of them still offer the same excellent service, they just have a different feel relative to their geographic location and who works there.”  “Banks are so regulated now, that really what sets them apart is the people,” he continues. “Knowing that, we try to hire the best possible people with great personalities. Our market all over Horry County— Conway, Aynor, Loris, Longs, North Myrtle Beach— continues to grow and expand. Each branch continues to grow in asset size. And we have a fantastic team all over Horry County.”  In addition to the new branches, this year, Anderson Brothers is also remodeling their North Myrtle Beach branch inside and out.  The interior of the new Market Common branch. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “We’re giving it a facelift,” he says. “We’re doing away with the old teller line and putting in teller pods to facilitate better customer experiences.”  ITMs (Interactive Teller Machines) will eventually replace ATMs at all of the bank’s branches. They connect patrons via video call to the live, local call center staffed by Anderson Brothers Bank employees— ideal for those who are in a hurry and don’t have time to go into the bank for service but still need personalized assistance.  The machines dispense cash like an ATM, but additionally, they can receive loan payments and accept numerous check and cash deposits at once. “Over the next eighteen months, as our technology evolves, we’ll be replacing all of our ATMs across our entire footprint,” Bryan says. “Some of our branches have been designed to add more than one.  “People want a community bank, and that need is always there. But they still want speed in their responsiveness. So we put a lot of emphasis with our team to get people an answer to their questions as quickly as possible, whether that’s through the ITM, over the phone, or in person. It’s not just about being local, it’s about a quick answer. Nobody wants to apply for a loan and wonder, three weeks from now, what’s going on. We structure our culture that way.”  The Market Common branch. — Photo Meganpixels Parker Also part of their culture is their commitment to helping out community members with lower credit scores with consumer lending.  “No matter your credit score, we try to help everybody,” Bryan says. “It gives you a good feeling to work at a place like that.”  Anderson Brothers helps lenders with credit scores of 550 and up to secure lower interest loans more than any other bank in the area.  “Often people have had a setback like an accident or illness, and they’re out of work,” Bryan says. “And they think they will only be able to procure a loan at a higher interest rate. We can help people who live in this area to get back on their feet.  “Even though we are expanding like we are, we stick to our tagline of treating you like family,” Bryan concludes. “When you come into a branch, we still know our customers by name. Even though we’re becoming more tech savvy, we retain that hometown bank feel. It’s still a local bank with local decision making— that’s how I would define us today.”  Anderson Brother’s Bank www.abbank.com