Independent Banker - December 2024 - 59
Making banking easier
for Spanish speakers
In partnership with ICBA preferred service provider Jack Henry, High Plains Bank is working to
remove financial barriers and enhance the banking experience for Colorado's large Hispanic
community. By Roshan McArthur * Photos by Ryan Dearth
nclusivity is deeply embedded in
the culture at High Plains Bank in
Flagler, Colo. Since its 1908 inception
in the small agricultural community
within the Colorado Eastern Plains,
the community bank has prided
itself on its ability to find and meet
customers where they are.
Today, the $400 million-asset
community bank's guiding principle
has remained since the 1990s: " We do
the right thing. We do things right. "
And it's a mission the bank has kept
front of mind in its work with the local
Hispanic community.
Conquering reticence about banks
" We really do try to give back and
work within the communities that
we're in, " says Brian Otteman, High
Plains Bank's chief experience officer,
" and it turns out that some of the
communities that we're in have a
higher population of Spanish-speaking
individuals. In some areas, it's as high
as 35% of the population. "
High Plains had to be thoughtful
about how it would serve this market
segment, as many new immigrants
and migratory workers are reluctant to
deal with banks. " We've noticed that
there's often a lot of fear about banking
for people who come from countries
where the banking systems are not
nearly as reputable as they are in the
U.S., " says Otteman.
Name:
High Plains Bank
Assets:
$400 million
Location:
Flagler, Colo.
He notes that the community bank
needed to learn how to engage those
communities and learn from them. So,
this year, staff set aside time to learn
about Hispanic community fears and
the source of them.
Migrant workers often bring
paychecks to the bank to be cashed,
which Otteman notes the bank is
I
" We've noticed that
there's often a lot of
fear about banking for
people who come from
countries where the
banking systems are
not nearly as reputable
as they are in the U.S. "
-BRIAN OTTEMAN, HIGH PLAINS BANK
happy to do. However, " it's cheaper,
faster and easier to send money using
digital services, " he says, " and you
need to have an account for that. "
During its outreach research, High
Plains Bank discovered that some of
its requirements, such as needing an
Individual Taxpayer Identification
Number (ITIN) for interest-paying
accounts, proved to be obstacles for the
Hispanic immigrant community. So,
High Plains made accommodations to
help them bypass such requirements.
Enhancing customer experience
with language support
High Plains hired additional Spanishspeaking
talent to chat with the
customers, but leadership realized that
wasn't enough. The community bank
needed to replicate the services offered
to English-speaking customers-and
that's where technology provider Jack
Henry came in.
High Plains Bank is on Jack
Henry's digital advisory board,
and in 2019, the bank's digital
branch and banking app, HPBGO,
began using Jack Henry's Banno
platform. This customizable tool
integrates core banking functions
with digital services, including Banno
Conversations, an authenticated chat
that offers real-time support for users.
On this messaging platform, the bank
has started responding to Spanish
speakers in their preferred language.
" These people probably spoke
just enough English to be able to
independentbanker.org // 59
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Independent Banker - December 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - December 2024
Contents
Independent Banker - December 2024 - Cover1
Independent Banker - December 2024 - Cover2
Independent Banker - December 2024 - Contents
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 2
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 3
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 4
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 5
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 6
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 7
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 8
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 9
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 10
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 11
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 12
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 13
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 14
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 15
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 16
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 17
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 18
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 19
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 20
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 21
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 22
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 23
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 24
Independent Banker - December 2024 - FIS1
Independent Banker - December 2024 - FIS2
Independent Banker - December 2024 - FIS3
Independent Banker - December 2024 - FIS4
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 25
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 26
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 27
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 28
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 29
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 30
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 31
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 32
Independent Banker - December 2024 - 33
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Independent Banker - December 2024 - Cover3
Independent Banker - December 2024 - Cover4
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