Independent Banker - May 2017 - 39

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CBW Bank
Weir, Kan.
Assets: $31 million
CBW Bank: Rewiring banking
The cutting edge can show up in the unlikeliest of places. From its
unassuming HQ in Weir, Kan. (pop. 661), CBW Bank has launched
some of the industry's most advanced technology.
Husband-and-wife team Suresh Ramamurthi, now chairman
and CTO, and Suchitra Padmanabhan, now president, bought the
Citizens Bank of Weir in 2009. Last year, Independent Banker named
Ramamurthi one of three Innovation Award winners for his work on
ONECard, the industry's first digital banking architecture that makes
real-time payments across multiple channels possible.
But while the bank is renowned for its technological innovation,
Ramamurthi says the secret of its success is
rather less glamorous: compliance. " We
embedded a real-time risk-scoring engine
into our digital banking platform, " he
says. " This enabled [us] to safely and
securely process real-time payments and
ensured that our system was built on a
process-friendly platform, which allows
us to quickly add new services without
taking on inordinate risks or increasing
Suresh Ramamurthi
exposure to fraudulent transactions. "
Today, CBW is focused on building its
wholesale payment services business line: It's
offering fee-based access to its white-label APIs to fintech startups
and banks looking to build a portfolio of innovative products and
services. As Ramamurthi says, " That is the mission: to leverage our
proprietary technology to build solutions that meet the evolving
financial needs of both consumers and businesses. "
3yr average ROA: 6.23%
cbwbank.com
2
How we compiled
the rankings
ICBA compiled this year's rankings with
the aim of recognizing community banks
that are consistent high performers.
Whereas in past years we only used the
most recent year's return-on-assets
(ROA) data from the FDIC, this year's rankings
take ROA figures from the past three
years (2016, 2015 and 2014) into account,
with 2016 carrying the most weight. We
then divided the banks into three broad
segments based on asset size and ranked
each segment based on our three-year
weighted average ROA.
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3
The Federal Savings Bank
Chicago, Ill.
Assets: $297 million
3yr average ROA: 5.70%
thefederalsavingsbank.com
30 seconds with... The Federal Savings Bank
The Federal Savings Bank, a privately held, veteran-owned, federally chartered
bank, lends across all 50 states. According to chairman and CEO Steve Calk,
the bank's aim is to demystify the process of borrowing from a bank and expand
home ownership in America.
IB: What makes you successful?
Calk: Our outstanding success is directly attributable to our team of banking
professionals, all laser focused on the success of our customers and the
accomplishment of their goals.
IB: Any words of wisdom for other banks?
Calk: I highly recommend you focus on a few core, profitable products
while ensuring you measure, monitor and control all aspects of your
banking platform. Be decisive. Ensure you create and measure key performance
indicators so you can recognize unproductive, unprofitable
products, procedures and people quickly [and] make changes before
they cause too much damage.
independentbanker.org
ICBA IndependentBanker 39

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Independent Banker - May 2017

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