April 7, 2025 • 12 mins
We spoke with Dime Bank President and CEO Nick Caplanson about the value of community banking.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de Murz.
Today my guests are from Dime Bank. We have President
and CEO Nick Kaplinson and Vice president of the Colchester
branch Chuck Maynard. Welcome, gentlemen, Thank you, good morning. This
is my first time with you.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, and it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And for you to be back once again. Yes, So
what's been happening that we should know about with DIN Bank?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We're moving forward.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
This past summer has been pretty busy for us, both
from a business standpoint, but also from a community outreach standpoint,
which is a big part of who we are as
a community bank. We've had several what we call signature
events in the communities we operate in. For example, Cruising
on Main Street in Manchester, which is a big, big
(00:51):
car show for any enthusiasts out there. We're one of
the title sponsors. We've been there over several years and
it's a big, big event for us. The Battle of
Stonington down in southeastern Connecticut is an event in that
community that we participate in. And sail Fest in New London,
which is a big event that a lot of people
(01:12):
from around the state go to.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We are a sponsor of the five k road race there,
so super busy for what we call our.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Blue Crew, which is our volunteer employee base to get
out in the community. And of course we're doing a
lot of business as well. So even though folks are
on vacation and summer's typically a little slower, it's been
a busy summer for us.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So why do you think it's so important for Dimebank
to be involved in sponsoring things like that?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, it, truly, I think is part of our culture
and it signals to the communities that we operate in
that we're invested in them. That we're not headquartered in
another state, another area of the country. We're a local
community bank. Our people live and work in the offices
(02:02):
where we're located, and we participate in these community events
because we want folks to know that we're really invested
and we're here for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Why is local community banking so important?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, I often tell people it's the differentiator with community
banking is that we are not a transaction based financial institution,
meaning you're just a number, you just come in and
execute a transaction. It's a relationship based model for us
(02:34):
and for our customers.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
We get to know our customers.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
We make people feel comfortable, and Alison, that's super important.
When people are sharing their financial needs and what their
situation is, they want to be comfortable, and our people
make customers feel comfortable and invest in that relationship building process,
which is a big differentiator with a community bank like
(02:59):
DIME versus a major national or regional bank.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
It really does make a difference.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Chuck, who is our branch manager, runs the office in Colchester.
Chuck has got a lot of relationships with people in
the community and with customers. So that's really really important.
And I kind of joke around at different events, and
I'm gonna state it here too.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Chuck is my wife's personal banker. She loves, feels very
comfortable with Chuck. She likes Chuck.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Whenever she travels, she calls Chuck and says, how's my
ATM card going to work in Europe or wherever it is.
She has that relationship with Chuck and has confidence in him.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I see it on a daily basis.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I love that that makes my day. Someone that knows
my face, knows my name, and that I can trust
with my future. Really, so you've said you had a
lot of business going on.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
What kind of business you know.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
It's been a very active summer for us, particularly in
commercial or business lending. A lot of real estate development,
particularly affordable housing projects throughout the state that are getting
off the ground in response to the housing crisis that
everyone knows about here in Connecticut and in New England.
(04:19):
We've been doing a lot of financing with that. Some
middle sized businesses seeking credit for projects that they've accelerated
because they're not sure where interest rates are going.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
We hear rates are going down. Are they really going down.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We'll see, but customers tend to know if they can
afford it. They like certainty, so they know what rates
are today and they can afford it. And again, we've
got a team of lenders that really provides a personal touch,
and particularly in business lending and commercial real estate lending,
(04:53):
that's important to those customers. They want to know who
that loan officer is, they want that loan off start
to understand their business model very intimately. It makes a big,
big difference, and that's been a big push for us
this summer.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We've seen a lot of business come in.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Really that's wonderful. It's encouraging.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
If somebody's in an apartment at the moment they want
to purchase a home, they go to that lender for
our listeners who may not understand can I afford this?
If I put this much money down, all of affect
my future. And to go somewhere again where they know
you and they care about you makes a world a difference.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
It really does.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And you know, even if somebody is for example, a
customer in our Colchester office knows Chuck doesn't know the lender.
They go see Chuck and he calls the appropriate team
member introduces the customer to that lender, and again it's
making those folks feel really comfortable. And that point of
(05:51):
contact that's familiar to the customer really really makes a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
It does.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It changes everything. I heard your appeach Chuck, Well, thank you.
I heard your like the nicest guy. When did you
go to Colchester?
Speaker 5 (06:03):
So we opened the Colchester office in twenty sixteen, and
that's when I started with Dime opening that office.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
And what's it like in Colchester? How do you like it?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Oh? I love it. I love it.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Like Nick said, it's about building the relationships. I started
my banking career almost twenty years ago now, and I
started working for the big national banks and then moved
into community banking, and when the opportunity presented itself, I
think I chose Dime as much as they chose me
for the community bank model because I have that ability
to build those relationships with my customers. I have those
partnerships with my lenders, with my residential mortgage lenders and
(06:38):
my commercial lenders that really they treat my customers like
I would treat them. So I know passing somebody off
that I never truly passed somebody off, but I know
they're going to give them the same treatment, the same respect,
the same dedication that I give them. So that was
really a breath of fresh air coming from a transactional
based institution like I can talk about, where it's really
just about the tick marker.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Getting it done.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
During your time there, they've supported your career in advancement.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Absolutely. When we opened in twenty sixteen, we were one
We were the seventh bank to open in town. We
were very new to the market. We had zero customers,
and we had six competitors that we were dealing with.
We kind of came in at the perfect time with
mergers and acquisitions, with large nationals and large regionals taking
over some of those banks. Some of those banks choosing
(07:25):
to close their office in Colchester. It was a perfect
opportunity for Dime Bank to come in and they really
nurtured my career. They sent me to the AVA American
Bankers Association Graduate School of Banking to help me develop
personally as well as just became completely involved in the
community that I'd lived in for twenty seven years, so
sponsoring things, Sponsoring things like the three twenty fifth anniversary
(07:48):
for the Town of Colchester last year. Sponsoring and giving
grants through our foundation for things like the Colchester Heyward
Volunteer Fire Company, which I'm involved with, and Collaboration for
Colchester's Children, which is an educational program. So Dime Bank
has been completely supportive of my community and me personally
throughout my career.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
There.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
What's it like working for something that pours into the
area that you were raised or that you live in.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
Oh, it's been a breath of fresh air because I
worked predominantly forty five minutes to an hour away from
home for most of my career, and when the opportunity
came at Dime to work in the community where I
live and I volunteer and I have my day to
day life. It was a perfect synergy. My day doesn't
consist of just banking activities. And excuse me for this nick,
but my volunteer organizations. I have meetings at the office
(08:36):
during office hours with people coming to talk about some
of the organizations that I'm part of. My time working
for the bank doesn't stop when I leave the office.
It Actually, most of my banking business happens outside the office,
whether it be in a meeting during business hours, or
running to somebody in the grocery store, or at a
meeting after hours, or it's something completely unrelated a community
(08:58):
event and somebody walks up and says, hey, I have
this need to your point. You know, I might want
to buy a house, or I need to plan for
my retirement. Have those conversations outside the four walls and
then bring it back and follow up and partner with
the right partners within the bank to get their needs met.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
You mustn't be able to go anywhere, I guarantee, because
you're a volunteer of fireman, so they're probably asking you
about whatever they could with banking. So you must be
like the mayor. I mean, you probably should run.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
You're my wife would divorce me. Yeah, you're not the
first person to say that. Actually, you know, I know
so many people in town, and if I am not
the resource, I know the resource and can put them
in touch with the resource. So it's I have people
that come into the branch and talk to me about
what's happening, you know, in emergency services and with things there.
I have people that ask me, you know, on a
(09:46):
fire scene, you know that's you know, chuck from the bank.
You know, one of the warmest events that happened. And
I even to think about this till now. I was
on my lunch break and went to an emergency call
and it was a young boy had broken his arm
and he wouldn't let it anybody near him, but he
recognized me from the bank, so he immediately latched on
to me, and we got him in the ambulance and
got him to the hospital. But it was and then
(10:07):
the mother came in the next day to thank me
for that and brought him in with his cast on,
and he was all happy to see me again. So
things like that that just mailed that community personal life
with work life. That just makes it so easy.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It's not a sterile environment. It's warm, not at all
and inviting. I can say to you that I live
in Lichfield and if I were to buy a house today,
I would absolutely call one of your lenders. Yeah, I
don't need to live over there to access the services.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
And that's a really good point, Alison, And I know
some of your listeners have probably heard me say this before,
but in this day and age, we have ways of
doing business all over the state, in other states. I mean,
last time I checked, I think we were financing projects
in about twenty eight different states around the country. Chuck
(10:59):
his team, everybody in our back office, it's the entire
team of people. Without good people and people who care
about customers and about the bank success, we would not
be who we are. And that's why, you know, again,
hiring the right people is so important. Every business owner
(11:22):
will tell you that, but in our business it is paramount.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
It's just a paramount importance.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
It's just and your humility helps as well, it truly does.
I'm speaking with Nick Kaplinson, president and CEO of Dime Bank,
and Chuck Maynard. He's the VP Branch manager of the
Colchester Dime Bank I want to thank you both for
being here and look forward every single month to having
another chat about what din Bank is doing in our community.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Thanks so much, Alison, pleasure to be here and good
to see you again.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Both of you as well.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Thank you
Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm Alison de Murz.
Today my guests are from Dime Bank. We have President
and CEO Nick Kaplinson and Vice president of the Colchester
branch Chuck Maynard. Welcome, gentlemen, Thank you, good morning. This
is my first time with you.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, and it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And for you to be back once again. Yes, So
what's been happening that we should know about with DIN Bank?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We're moving forward.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
This past summer has been pretty busy for us, both
from a business standpoint, but also from a community outreach standpoint,
which is a big part of who we are as
a community bank. We've had several what we call signature
events in the communities we operate in. For example, Cruising
on Main Street in Manchester, which is a big, big
(00:51):
car show for any enthusiasts out there. We're one of
the title sponsors. We've been there over several years and
it's a big, big event for us. The Battle of
Stonington down in southeastern Connecticut is an event in that
community that we participate in. And sail Fest in New London,
which is a big event that a lot of people
(01:12):
from around the state go to.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
We are a sponsor of the five k road race there,
so super busy for what we call our.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Blue Crew, which is our volunteer employee base to get
out in the community. And of course we're doing a
lot of business as well. So even though folks are
on vacation and summer's typically a little slower, it's been
a busy summer for us.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So why do you think it's so important for Dimebank
to be involved in sponsoring things like that?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, it, truly, I think is part of our culture
and it signals to the communities that we operate in
that we're invested in them. That we're not headquartered in
another state, another area of the country. We're a local
community bank. Our people live and work in the offices
(02:02):
where we're located, and we participate in these community events
because we want folks to know that we're really invested
and we're here for the long haul.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Why is local community banking so important?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, I often tell people it's the differentiator with community
banking is that we are not a transaction based financial institution,
meaning you're just a number, you just come in and
execute a transaction. It's a relationship based model for us
(02:34):
and for our customers.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
We get to know our customers.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
We make people feel comfortable, and Alison, that's super important.
When people are sharing their financial needs and what their
situation is, they want to be comfortable, and our people
make customers feel comfortable and invest in that relationship building process,
which is a big differentiator with a community bank like
(02:59):
DIME versus a major national or regional bank.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
It really does make a difference.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Chuck, who is our branch manager, runs the office in Colchester.
Chuck has got a lot of relationships with people in
the community and with customers. So that's really really important.
And I kind of joke around at different events, and
I'm gonna state it here too.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Chuck is my wife's personal banker. She loves, feels very
comfortable with Chuck. She likes Chuck.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Whenever she travels, she calls Chuck and says, how's my
ATM card going to work in Europe or wherever it is.
She has that relationship with Chuck and has confidence in him.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I see it on a daily basis.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I love that that makes my day. Someone that knows
my face, knows my name, and that I can trust
with my future. Really, so you've said you had a
lot of business going on.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
What kind of business you know.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
It's been a very active summer for us, particularly in
commercial or business lending. A lot of real estate development,
particularly affordable housing projects throughout the state that are getting
off the ground in response to the housing crisis that
everyone knows about here in Connecticut and in New England.
(04:19):
We've been doing a lot of financing with that. Some
middle sized businesses seeking credit for projects that they've accelerated
because they're not sure where interest rates are going.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
We hear rates are going down. Are they really going down.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We'll see, but customers tend to know if they can
afford it. They like certainty, so they know what rates
are today and they can afford it. And again, we've
got a team of lenders that really provides a personal touch,
and particularly in business lending and commercial real estate lending,
(04:53):
that's important to those customers. They want to know who
that loan officer is, they want that loan off start
to understand their business model very intimately. It makes a big,
big difference, and that's been a big push for us
this summer.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
We've seen a lot of business come in.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Really that's wonderful. It's encouraging.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
If somebody's in an apartment at the moment they want
to purchase a home, they go to that lender for
our listeners who may not understand can I afford this?
If I put this much money down, all of affect
my future. And to go somewhere again where they know
you and they care about you makes a world a difference.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
It really does.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
And you know, even if somebody is for example, a
customer in our Colchester office knows Chuck doesn't know the lender.
They go see Chuck and he calls the appropriate team
member introduces the customer to that lender, and again it's
making those folks feel really comfortable. And that point of
(05:51):
contact that's familiar to the customer really really makes a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
It does.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
It changes everything. I heard your appeach Chuck, Well, thank you.
I heard your like the nicest guy. When did you
go to Colchester?
Speaker 5 (06:03):
So we opened the Colchester office in twenty sixteen, and
that's when I started with Dime opening that office.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
And what's it like in Colchester? How do you like it?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Oh? I love it. I love it.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Like Nick said, it's about building the relationships. I started
my banking career almost twenty years ago now, and I
started working for the big national banks and then moved
into community banking, and when the opportunity presented itself, I
think I chose Dime as much as they chose me
for the community bank model because I have that ability
to build those relationships with my customers. I have those
partnerships with my lenders, with my residential mortgage lenders and
(06:38):
my commercial lenders that really they treat my customers like
I would treat them. So I know passing somebody off
that I never truly passed somebody off, but I know
they're going to give them the same treatment, the same respect,
the same dedication that I give them. So that was
really a breath of fresh air coming from a transactional
based institution like I can talk about, where it's really
just about the tick marker.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Getting it done.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
During your time there, they've supported your career in advancement.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Absolutely. When we opened in twenty sixteen, we were one
We were the seventh bank to open in town. We
were very new to the market. We had zero customers,
and we had six competitors that we were dealing with.
We kind of came in at the perfect time with
mergers and acquisitions, with large nationals and large regionals taking
over some of those banks. Some of those banks choosing
(07:25):
to close their office in Colchester. It was a perfect
opportunity for Dime Bank to come in and they really
nurtured my career. They sent me to the AVA American
Bankers Association Graduate School of Banking to help me develop
personally as well as just became completely involved in the
community that I'd lived in for twenty seven years, so
sponsoring things, Sponsoring things like the three twenty fifth anniversary
(07:48):
for the Town of Colchester last year. Sponsoring and giving
grants through our foundation for things like the Colchester Heyward
Volunteer Fire Company, which I'm involved with, and Collaboration for
Colchester's Children, which is an educational program. So Dime Bank
has been completely supportive of my community and me personally
throughout my career.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
There.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
What's it like working for something that pours into the
area that you were raised or that you live in.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
Oh, it's been a breath of fresh air because I
worked predominantly forty five minutes to an hour away from
home for most of my career, and when the opportunity
came at Dime to work in the community where I
live and I volunteer and I have my day to
day life. It was a perfect synergy. My day doesn't
consist of just banking activities. And excuse me for this nick,
but my volunteer organizations. I have meetings at the office
(08:36):
during office hours with people coming to talk about some
of the organizations that I'm part of. My time working
for the bank doesn't stop when I leave the office.
It Actually, most of my banking business happens outside the office,
whether it be in a meeting during business hours, or
running to somebody in the grocery store, or at a
meeting after hours, or it's something completely unrelated a community
(08:58):
event and somebody walks up and says, hey, I have
this need to your point. You know, I might want
to buy a house, or I need to plan for
my retirement. Have those conversations outside the four walls and
then bring it back and follow up and partner with
the right partners within the bank to get their needs met.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
You mustn't be able to go anywhere, I guarantee, because
you're a volunteer of fireman, so they're probably asking you
about whatever they could with banking. So you must be
like the mayor. I mean, you probably should run.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
You're my wife would divorce me. Yeah, you're not the
first person to say that. Actually, you know, I know
so many people in town, and if I am not
the resource, I know the resource and can put them
in touch with the resource. So it's I have people
that come into the branch and talk to me about
what's happening, you know, in emergency services and with things there.
I have people that ask me, you know, on a
(09:46):
fire scene, you know that's you know, chuck from the bank.
You know, one of the warmest events that happened. And
I even to think about this till now. I was
on my lunch break and went to an emergency call
and it was a young boy had broken his arm
and he wouldn't let it anybody near him, but he
recognized me from the bank, so he immediately latched on
to me, and we got him in the ambulance and
got him to the hospital. But it was and then
(10:07):
the mother came in the next day to thank me
for that and brought him in with his cast on,
and he was all happy to see me again. So
things like that that just mailed that community personal life
with work life. That just makes it so easy.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It's not a sterile environment. It's warm, not at all
and inviting. I can say to you that I live
in Lichfield and if I were to buy a house today,
I would absolutely call one of your lenders. Yeah, I
don't need to live over there to access the services.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
And that's a really good point, Alison, And I know
some of your listeners have probably heard me say this before,
but in this day and age, we have ways of
doing business all over the state, in other states. I mean,
last time I checked, I think we were financing projects
in about twenty eight different states around the country. Chuck
(10:59):
his team, everybody in our back office, it's the entire
team of people. Without good people and people who care
about customers and about the bank success, we would not
be who we are. And that's why, you know, again,
hiring the right people is so important. Every business owner
(11:22):
will tell you that, but in our business it is paramount.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
It's just a paramount importance.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
It's just and your humility helps as well, it truly does.
I'm speaking with Nick Kaplinson, president and CEO of Dime Bank,
and Chuck Maynard. He's the VP Branch manager of the
Colchester Dime Bank I want to thank you both for
being here and look forward every single month to having
another chat about what din Bank is doing in our community.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Thanks so much, Alison, pleasure to be here and good
to see you again.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Both of you as well.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Thank you
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