13 minute read
Women in Banking
Born to ank
By Carole Miller Photography by David Teran
For many people, banking conjures up images of accountants sitting in little rooms crunching numbers, men in suits, and generally not much fun. After getting to know a few of the most powerful women in local banking, it turns out the banking business is not just about numbers; it’s about people.
Sandra Villasenor, Ileana Payne, and Maria Breen live their dreams every day. While many little girls dream about riding off into the sunset with prince charming like a Disney princess, these ladies have lived happily ever after with fairy tale careers in banking.
Banking, to these leaders, is almost philanthropic. It’s an opportunity to love thy neighbor and feel joy. “I meet new people every day and love helping them succeed,” says Sandra Villasenor.
A career in banking may not have been their childhood dream, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “San Antonio is my hometown. It’s my soul,” says Maria Breen. “I am personally invested in the success of generations to come.”
In other words, baby, they were born to bank.
Sandy Villasenor
Ambition personified, Sandra Villasenor has an unbelievable amount of charm and knows how to get what she wants. She serves as Senior Vice President Business Banker for Broadway Bank, but there’s really no reason why she couldn’t serve as queen of the world if that’s what she decided to do. Go ahead, throw her some lemons and see what happens.
“I work to prove to myself I can,” she muses. “I never thought I’d be a banker back in 1985, but here I am. Now I don’t know what else I would do.”
To know Sandy is to love Sandy. She may come across as bulletproof, but deep down, she’s quite warmhearted, sentimental, and caring. She also sits on the board of The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber and serves as finance chair on the board of San Antonio Growth for the Eastside (SAGE).
“I have never seen anyone care more about customers than Sandy. She always goes above and beyond to ensure they succeed financially,” says longtime co-worker and friend Annie Turner.
She is a ball of fire with an enormous stockpile of moxie and most likely never encountered a roadblock she couldn’t steamroll past. From her humble beginnings on San Antonio’s west side to struggling as a teen mom to battling breast cancer, Sandra Villasenor, like the phoenix, will always rise from the ashes and emerge victoriously. “I feed off people,” explains Villasenor. “The key is communication, asking the right questions, making clients comfortable. I like to please people. That’s a skill you can’t teach.”
As for succeeding in the “man’s world” of finance, this self-described “former tomboy” believes women today are powerful, well-educated, and perfectly capable. Her advice to young women is to “look inside yourself and find what makes you happy.”
Ileana Payne
Frost Bank Vice President Financial Center Manager of North Frost and Alamo Heights
Ileana Payne is an original, if there ever was one. The McAllen native is so unwittingly inspirational that, before you know it, you find yourself wanting to know much more about her. She parlayed a degree in journalism and advertising along with her love of writing, marketing, and people into a career in banking 32 years ago and never looked back.
“I joined Frost Bank right after kindergarten,” she jokes. “But seriously, I absolutely love the people aspect of banking and taking care of clients. I began in marketing, wrote brochures, coordinated trade shows, and wrote the magazine for the Young Leaders Club, but I really wanted to do the retail side of banking.”
She understands the value of a hard day’s work and is willing to put in time for her community, doing everything from attending local city council and school board meetings to joining the Junior League to shoveling mulch for charity.
“Ileana is genuinely kind, caring, and thoughtful,” says Tricia Richardson, Frost Bank Group Financial Center Manager. “She goes above and beyond and knows all her customers. She knows their families, friends and even knows their dog’s names.”
The Frost motto, “Faith, Family, Frost,” contributes to her extraordinary philosophy of life. That and her unconventional way of dealing with basically everything.
“If you look after faith and family, then work just falls in line,” she explains. “COVID forced everyone at Frost Bank to think outside the box, but I’d rather be in the bank.”
Nothing Ileana Payne touches will ever turn out ordinary. It may be unusual. But it will never be ordinary.
Maria Breen
The Bank of San Antonio Private Banking Manager
Like Willy Wonka touring his Chocolate Factory, Maria Breen can make the sun shine just by taking your phone call. In other words, her personal magnetism is unequaled.
Her innate desire to help her fellow San Antonians makes her the perfect private banking manager for The Bank of San Antonio. Add in a psychology degree from the University of Houston and a pinch of curiosity, and the result is someone who forms relationships in order to advise and guide generations of individuals and families because, well, she knows how to go about things better than almost anyone else.
Getting to know clients and hearing their histories, successes, and failures is her favorite part of banking. Along with The Bank of San Antonio’s mission, “To Grow—Through Grit and Curiosity,” Breen genuinely cares about her clients. “They are not just numbers. They mean something to me, and I treat them how I’d like my family treated. Plus, their stories are so interesting.”
Her main talent is big ideas. And big ideas start from small beginnings. The key to her success is to ask questions, start conversations, stay inquisitive and approach each opportunity head-on.
From left to right: Rosemarie Lozano Belma Kusi Alyssa Tamez Lopez Angie Lewis Danette Castaneda
The Women of
Encore Bank
Building the Best Team to Serve our Community
From left to right: Angie Castillo Sylvia Garcia Carol Hunt Erin Clementson
There’s a new bank in town, and its name is Encore Bank. Encore is making waves in the San Antonio community because of its unique style of “boutique” banking. Many of its employees and customers are also investors. Serving the community and working alongside local businesses, Encore Bank enables everyone to build something together.
Ownership Cultivates Growth
What began in Little Rock as a small enterprise has expanded into 17 different markets. The bank recently completed a capital raise gaining over 1200 shareholders. Such broad ownership is a contrast to the traditional ownership structure of privately held banks. Shareholders naturally bring business back to Encore because they own it and believe in what is being built. This unique opportunity for ownership gives Encore’s team members a chance not just to be employees but to personally invest and become owners themselves.
In the San Antonio office of Encore Bank, most of the team members are women. Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking, Angie Lewis quotes the Encore Bank motto, “We win together,” when explaining her choice to join the team.
“We are all owners of the bank, and I believe it’s one of the most powerful tools you can give an organization,” she explains. “There’s not a lot of ego here; it’s just about doing what’s right, finding common ground, and treating customers and shareholders with respect.”
Erin Clementson, Vice President Business Development Officer, moved to Encore from another mortgage company because of the entrepreneurial spirit. The opportunity to build something new and get in on the ground floor of an up-and-coming bank was exciting to her.
“Encore Bank is small enough to be nimble and flexible but big enough to get things done,” observes Clementson. “It’s the meshing of two worlds in a special way. It’s easy to sell, and its strong backing gives it stability and confidence.”
“As far as banks go, Encore Bank is different in all the right ways,” adds Alyssa Tamez Lopez, Senior Vice President Mortgage Banker. “This team is a collection of established, experienced professionals.”
Lopez joined Encore Bank because she found the culture appealing. Traditional mortgage companies don’t have the flexibility that a boutique bank like Encore does. In addition to the standard VA, FHA and Conventional loan products that most average banks offer, we also have in our toolbelt a wide variety of specialized portfolio home loan products such as loan programs for doctors, teachers, first responders and professionals. This allows us to reach a wider base of home buyers and ultimately help more of our community members become homeowners.
“Why not offer first-class service and be a resource to our growing business community?” she poses. Angie Lewis sums up the enormous success of the women of Encore Bank, saying, “In a world of inclusion and diversity, it’s not about quotas. Just be open to hiring the best, and they will be diverse and reflect the market you are in.”
What’s a boutique bank?
Boutique banks most commonly perform primary banking services and specialize in serving a specific industry or market that may not be well served by larger, “bulge bracket” banks. A bulge bracket banking institution is a traditional bank that focuses on serving large corporations and may have a retail banking component. Boutique firms, on the other hand, tend to specialize in meeting the needs of smaller businesses or specific industries.
Boutique firms like Encore Bank aim to offer more personalized, tailored services in strategic markets. They entered the San Antonio market a year ago and have over 100 local investors. Those investors, along with their experienced bankers, have helped grow the San Antonio market to over $70 million in new funded loans. Angie Castillo, portfolio manager states, “We’ve been able to grow organically, one client at a time. In fact, the best compliments we get are referrals from our existing clients.” Encore’s primary success in San Antonio has been through competitive rates and terms on commercial real estate, commercial and industrial lending, and financing for medical professionals.
Banking with Encore
Encore Bank provides a wide range of financial products and services to businesses, business owners, professionals, and individuals who have a desire for a personalized banking experience. It is a private, boutique bank with a commercial focus, highly experienced and talented bankers with cutting-edge technology. Encore customers enjoy a high level of personal service, just like having your own banking concierge.
“Encore Bank is about building your business up. We want you to succeed,” promises Encore Bank Chairman and CEO Chris Roberts.
And you can take that promise to the bank.
To learn more about boutique services at Encore Bank, visit bankencore.com.
Connect with Angie Lewis at angie.lewis@bankencore.com
Encore Bank
711 Broadway Suite 350, San Antonio, TX 78215 bankencore.com
Stephanie Lyles TransPecos Banks, SSB
By Antonio Gutierrez Photography by David Teran
Stephanie Lyles
has a favorite quote by Charles Swindoll she abides by: “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.”
Those words of wisdom have helped guide Lyles, 40, throughout life and have opened doors for her in her professional life in the banking industry over the last 18 years. Her path to success has now led to her role as chief credit officer of TransPecos Banks, SSB, which she assumed in June of last year. TransPecos Banks is headquartered in San Antonio and has branches in West Texas, including Alpine, Pecos, and Marathon.
At TransPecos Banks, SSB, Lyles leads the credit team and holds responsibility for the management of all underwriting activities of the bank.
“I’m excited about the opportunity, and it’s my dream role,” Lyles said. “I’m still learning a lot, but I’m enjoying it because I get to be involved in the bigger picture and work across all lines of business such as finance and compliance. I’m able to meet with customers one-on-one and also help plan for the future of the Bank. It’s a very collaborative environment.”
After graduating from Texas A&M University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Lyles began her career straight out of college with Frost National Bank in the Austin area, where she grew up. At Frost, she received her formal introduction to commercial credit underwriting and graduated from Frosts’ Financial Services University. “Frost’s credit analyst training program was pretty intense,” Lyles said. “It’s specific to commercial lending, analyzing businesses and their cash flow and projections. It’s been a great foundation that has carried me all these years.”
In 2011, Lyles moved to the Alamo City when she was hired by Broadway Bank as a credit analyst. While at Broadway, she was promoted to VP, Business Banking Underwriter before being promoted to VP, Commercial Credit Department manager in 2016. In this role, Lyles was responsible for hiring, developing, and leading the commercial credit underwriting team.
In addition to numerous other activities, Lyles is the president of the Risk Management Association (RMA) - San Antonio Chapter, where she’s been an active board member since 2012. The RMA is a not-forprofit, professional association whose mission is to advance the use of sound risk management principles in the financial services industry. For information about becoming a member, visit www.rmahq.org or the LinkedIn page under RMA San Antonio Chapter.
Lyles also recently graduated from the North San Antonio Chamber Leadership Lab, a one-year training program that helps professionals develop leadership skills and team building.
Away from work, Lyles enjoys traveling and being outdoors with her husband, a San Antonio firefighter, and their three children, McKenna, 14; J.D., 11; and Parker, 11.
Get to Know Stephanie Lyles
1. First Job: Sonic Carhop 2. First Car: Nissan Altima but I upgraded as quickly as possible to a Firebird Formula (6 speed) with T-tops 3. Guilty Pleasure: Finding the best pizza place in town (Florio’s is at the top for me as of now), shopping, crafting, and watching Hallmark movies. 4. Best Advice Your Parents Ever Gave You: This isn’t really advice per se, but it’s what my dad taught me by his actions. He taught me what hard work, dedication, and loyalty are by his actions in his career and in life. 5. If You Weren’t in the Banking Industry: I’d be a vet.
TransPecos Banks, SSB, 112 E. Pecan, Ste 800, San Antonio | 78205 (877) 445-9550 or visit transpecosbanks.com
