Building Better Lives and Communities

Community banking through COVID-19 and beyond

BY AMARA BRIGGS

MY NAME IS AMARA BRIGGS, and I have been a middle market banker in the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware region for more than 16 years. Truist’s middle market team focuses on commercial businesses that have between $75 million and $500 million in annual revenue.

At BB&T now Truist, our mission for our clients is to provide distinctive, secure, and successful experiences through touch and technology. Our roots are in community banking, and we’re proud to continue to be a Main Street America bank – providing lending and other financial services to local businesses, institutions and families.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on everyday life have demonstrated the importance for middle market bankers to establish and maintain local relationships with our business clients and advise them on how to evolve and navigate these trying times.

One of my clients is a multi-million-dollar a year business that historically had issued payments by physical mail-in checks. During the pandemic, issuing checks became impracticable for a variety of reasons, and many realized a shift toward electronic payments would reduce float time. My treasury team and I are working to educate business owners and their finance teams on how to reduce their reliance on potentially antiquated payment systems. Advising companies on how to shape their working capital cycle around creating and providing electronic payments is a large cultural shift.

We’ve also changed the way we’ve “touched” our clients. Meetings have become virtual, and my sales colleagues thus became more intentional and disciplined in adhering to our meeting agendas. As you can imagine, I’ve noticed that prospective clients are more motivated to take a meeting because of the reduced travel time and preparation for an in-person meeting— in some instances, it is easier to jump on an online call for a half hour than it is to hop in a car to travel, sit in traffic, park, etcetera.

With 275 years of combined BB&T and SunTrust history, Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country. Our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities. This is our reason for being – the reason we exist as Truist. It’s our starting point for every decision, and what makes us different. It’s also what keeps our clients and communities at the center of everything we do. n

Amara M. Briggs is a middle market senior vice president for the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley regions at Truist.