Illinois banker breaking the big bank mold

Northwestern Financial Review, Nov 15, 2001 by Dullum, Justin

Charie Zanck of American Community Bank and Trust in Woodstock, Ill., is an adventurer-a world traveler. Last year it was China. This year it's South America. "My husband and I usually like to make one specific country the destination. South America will be more like a whirlwind tour," Zanck said.

A couple years ago, Zanck's spirit of adventure contributed to her leaving AMCORE Financial, Rockford, Ill., and starting American Community Bank and Trust, Woodstock, Ill., a de novo bank. "Moving from AMCORE was, first of all, my choice. I like what we've done at American Community. We're in a building mode-a re-engineering mode, which is much more exciting," Zanck said.

Another factor contributing to the shift was her banking philosophy. At AMCORE, she was responsible for $2.5 billion in assets, 50 locations and 650 employees. American has $126 million, two locations and 27 employees. "Small isn't the issue," Zanck said. "We wanted to be part of a growing, aggressive institution that is focused on customers and is able to respond. We're agile. We're modern in our thinking. We're not burdened with old paradigms and bureaucracy."

Zanck said AMCORE, like many banks its size, began to become too mechanized. "The momentum was to centralize everything into a home office headquarters. But then you lose touch with your client base," Zanck said. "I'm not talking just about AMCORE specifically. It gets so the front lines don't have the authority, capability or training to best serve the client."

Zanck said the resources needed to create American Community came together. "The capital, the community, the directors-- they all fell into place," she commented. "The opportunity was there and the support was there. Plus, we surrounded ourselves with some very good people and the market was good."

Woodstock's economy has remained strong despite the recent national downturn. Located near the Illinois/Wisconsin border, the city is in close proximity to Chicago and Milwaukee. "It's been a terrific market. The economy here doesn't rely on a single industry," Zanck said.

Zanck has a bachelor of arts degree from National Louis University in Evanston and a master's degree in finance from the University of Chicago. She is a member of the Illinois Bankers Association board of directors and was a featured speaker at the first-ever IBA Women in Banking Conference conducted Sept. 6.

"To be honest, I'm not usually a proponent of `women only' events," Zanck said. "However, in this case it was obviously something that the women in the industry were interested in, based on the level of response and feedback we received. There definitely seems to be a need out there." The IBA initially was planning for a 50-person turnout, but attendance was double that. Plans already are underway for next year's conference.

A 25-year veteran in the industry, Zanck began her career during a time when there was little professional opportunity for women. "There were lots of women in the entry-level positions, but no women in administration positions," Zanck said. "Nursing and teaching were still the major female careers. But the times were also changing."

Banking became her profession almost by chance. She began work as a teller and found the industry respectable and respected. As the industry came to rely more on individuals with varied backgrounds, Zanck became more relied upon.

"I think any person who works from the bottom up is better at understanding the whole picture," Zanck said. "It serves me well to be a generalist as opposed to a specialist. In banking today a general overall knowledge is appropriate and favorable."

By Justin Dullum