Michael E. Schrage, CEO and Chairman of Centier Bank, is pleased to announce that Centier Bank has been recognized as the #2 “Best Bank to Work For” in the United States by American Banker, and #1 in the state of Indiana.
For the past nine years, Centier Bank has placed alongside financial institutions across the country on the nationwide list of 90 banks in the U.S. The nationally renowned American Banker publication creates the list based on extensive employee surveys and reviews employer benefits and policies. The publication evaluates a company’s volunteering and charitable contributions, as well as leadership philosophy, recruitment, and diversity--among other areas—as determining factors.
In 2021, a new area of workplace efforts American Banker considered, was the effectiveness of banks’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Centier Bank found many ways to care for its employees and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bank offered paid time off for employees who took coronavirus tests, got vaccinated or had to quarantine, for example. And it let employees carry over a week of unused time off into 2021. Employees whose spouses lost jobs benefited from Centier’s C.A.R.E. Program, which paid out $49,000 in 2020,” the publication stated.
Chrisanne Christ, Senior Partner in Human Resource Development at Centier Bank, said while ranking as #2 in the country is a huge achievement for the bank, Centier’s leadership has always done what comes naturally to its company culture.
“We call ourselves the ‘Centier Family,’ and when times get tough, family sticks together,” Christ explained. “For the past 126 years, we have always looked for ways to make the lives of our associates better, and the setbacks many faced in 2021 were an opportunity for us to show up for one another—as family does.”
Christ said Centier’s reputation for personalized service is a result of well-cared-for associates.
“When our associates feel valued, they are able to show up to work as their best selves and to help assist and guide our clients,” she explained. “There’s nothing quite like that personal relationship with your banker, and that’s what our clients value.”
Schrage said this year’s all-time high ranking for Centier makes him feel an enormous sense of pride, and that he is over the moon about the news.
“What makes the American Banker ‘Best Banks to Work For’ award so significant is that it is entirely based on feedback from our associates,” Schrage said. “I am truly touched to know that through the ups and downs of the pandemic, they knew that their workplace was there for them, and that they felt secure and taken care of. That means everything to me.”
Centier Bank recently surpassed the $5.9 billion assets milestone and was one of the largest banks on the list, with only two other Indiana-based banks being named. The distinction follows similar workplace accolades from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce (Hall of Fame), the Urban League of Northwest Indiana, and The Times of Northwest Indiana, to name a few.
For more information on American Banker’s rankings and to see the full list of award recipients, visit americanbanker.com. For more information about Centier Bank, go to centier.com.
