What is Bank of Fort Bend’s plan to meet shareholders’ expectations over the first
three years of operations?
We feel very strongly that the current turmoil in the economy can create opportunities
for those careful enough to take advantage of them. Many banks in our market have
curtailed lending due to capital or liquidity restrictions; however, Bank of Fort
Bend has opportunities and we are advertising accordingly.
We are finding ways to improve performance and efficiency. We just hired a senior
lender because he is a strong producer with good credit skills. We are also training
one of our lobby services personnel in the loan operations area so that she is available
to work between both areas as needed.
Finally, we are being proactive in following our underwriting guidelines to ensure
that we have superior credit quality and can avoid future loan losses. We are fortunate
to have a very experienced loan committee comprised of successful businesspeople
whose careers started in banking, so we have a wealth of experience to help us weather
these times.
— R. Bruce Mercer, President