Brockton, Mass.-based HarborOne Bank recently announced it has named Brenda Kerr as senior vice president of its retail division. With $3.7 billion in assets, the bank operates in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with 23 full-service branch offices, two limited-service branches, two commercial loan centers, in Boston and Providence, and 16 free-standing ATMs.
In her new job, Kerr is charged with the continued development of the bank’s strategic vision, delivering on overall profitability and growth while maintaining “the HarborOne Bank Culture.” She has worked in both the Greater Boston and Rhode Island markets with more than two decades of retail banking experience.
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Prior to joining HarborOne, she was director of retail sales, operations and support at Century Bank, where she organized, monitored and directed the overall activities of the bank’s retail branch network and retail operations and support group.
Kerr started her career in banking at Fleet Bank, which transitioned to Sovereign Bank. She also worked for Santander Bank, where she progressed in responsibility from branch leadership, district leadership, and sales and service strategy for Santander.
Kerr earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island. She lives in Mansfield with her family.
PBN: How did you get into banking?
KERR: Honestly, if you asked me when I was just out of college if banking was where I would be today, I certainly would have found that amusing. I grew up on a farm in western Cranston, where my family grew sweet corn. Being part of the family business is where I developed my commitment to hard work. In college, I majored in textiles, merchandising and design, and post-graduation managed a decorating store.
My passion for running a business, helping customers understand what they needed and helping the business run more efficiently all spoke to me. I realized I had a passion for numbers – I loved relating to and understanding people’s needs. All of these things led me to business through customer service and I became a banker. I started in a branch working both as a teller and in customer service and have done almost every job in retail banking since then.
PBN: In your new job leading retail banking for HarborOne, what changes, if any, do you plan to initiate?
KERR: I believe it is extremely important as a leader to study, listen and learn before you attempt to help. You must first understand the culture, history and people behind the organization. When you do this, you will know how to best support both the customers and employees.
When I joined HarborOne, they were in the midst of acquiring another institution. Jim Blake, CEO, made a commitment to the team to bring the best of both institutions together, and I am listening to both groups, so we can work together to make that vision come to life.
PBN: What mobile/online services does HarborOne offer customers?
KERR: We offer a full range of online and mobile capabilities for our customers today, both [for] consumers and small business. Our mobile app provides consumers a full suite of services, including the ability to make deposits, pay bills, transfer funds both inside and outside the bank, open a new account, send cash to friends and family, deactivate and reactivate their debit card in real time. Our online banking tools allow small businesses to manage all of their personal and business accounts through a single login, transfer money between their business lines of credit and their business checking account, and much more.
We also offer both our consumer and small-business customers the ability to get an instant issue of their debit card when they open an account in a branch. And, with this capability, we can also reissue debit cards immediately if they’re lost or stolen. Our customers love this feature because of the convenience and no “down time” without their card. We’re excited to launch several new features in 2019 – more [details] to come next year.
PBN: From a retail perspective, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing banks the size and scope of HarborOne?
KERR: It is important at our size to make sure people know we are here and are ready to help them with solutions to meet their financial needs. Small community banks have a distinct advantage over our competitors, as we are closer to our customers and able to act more quickly with local decision-making and less layers to keep the experience personalized. Our challenge is making sure people know what we can do for them.
PBN: Do you foresee HarborOne shrinking its retail banking workforce/branch footprint as mobile and online services become more widespread?
KERR: I definitely do not see HarborOne shrinking its retail footprint. We are continuing to expand our brick-and-mortar presence. We know the importance of a local personal touch combined with digital convenience. We know that customers want to be able to speak to us in person, as well as online. We will continue to help our customers bank the way that best suits them: in person, online, in their place of business and from the convenience of their home. Our ability to help customers where, when and how they want will be our competitive edge.
Scott Blake is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com.
