Testimonials.

In their own words.

Charles Ruyle, EVP/Operations Director Citizens Bank of Rogersville Rogersville, Missouri Assets:  $57M

Q.  Why did your bank choose to work with Holtmeyer & Monson?

Charles:  In October of 2010, we attended an ICBA seminar presentation given by Arne Monson. When we got back from the seminar, we had a customer who was a potential candidate for an SBA loan. We got Holtmeyer & Monson to work with our senior loan officer. They were able to put together that customer’s loan and another large SBA loan that have worked very well for the bank. We successfully completed those loans and got them approved before the end of the year, then followed up in 2011 with more SBA loans.

Q:  Had you done any SBA lending previously?

Charles:  Only a limited amount. We just hadn’t been very active in the SBA lending world because of the complexity of the SBA requirements. Holtmeyer & Monson has been very key to our success with some fairly complicated SBA lending requirements. For example, the first loan we did with the company was for a customer in a franchise business. They worked directly with the franchise organization to complete some of the business pro forma information, making sure it was put together in a fashion that they knew to be necessary for the SBA.

Q:  Have the SBA loans facilitated by Holtmeyer & Monson added significant revenue for your bank?

Charles:  Yes. We were able to sell the guaranteed portion of the loans in the secondary market. Along with the interest from the loans, that revenue has been a very significant factor in our bank’s annual income.

Q:  Are you planning on doing more SBA loans?

Charles:  We’re going to pursue every opportunity we have for that type of business. In the banking world, SBA lending is a rare opportunity to have a win/win. It’s good for the bank; it’s good for the customer. Because of Holtmeyer & Monson’s capability to help us, we will continue to look at SBA lending as an avenue that we didn’t pursue a year ago.

Q:  So you’re saying that Holtmeyer & Monson helps to take certain burdens off the shoulders of your staff?

Charles:  By partnering with Holtmeyer & Monson, we don’t have to maintain the SBA expertise locally inside our building. They can bring that expertise to us. We’re a small community bank, and we have employees who must wear a lot of hats. We can’t be experts at everything, but working with Holtmeyer & Monson, we can offer expert SBA lending services.

Q: Do you think SBA lending helps make your bank competitive in the local market?

Charles:  I do. We are marketing this as a benefit to customers. In fact, we even put it up on our scrolling sign outside our main building: Ask us about SBA lending. We’re able to say to people, “Look, we also have an avenue to do SBA lending. If your business needs lie along that line, and this kind of opportunity fits your needs, then give us a chance at it.”   We (might not have been) (were not) in the position to market SBA loans before..

Q: Would you refer Holtmeyer & Monson to another banker?

Charles:  The answer is yes, very much so. Holtmeyer & Monson makes SBA lending easy. We appreciate what they’ve done for us and I’m not reluctant at all to give them a pretty glowing report. I have nothing but good things to say about what our bank has experienced.