The events that take place in any boardroom are often mysterious and not well understood by the general public and even by many whose work involves business matters.
Boardroom Confidential is the story of Pacific National Bank as it implements a marketing strategy to attract the Hispanic immigrant population as banking customers. The intent is to capture a major portion of business with this un-banked segment of the states fastest growing group. The idea is regarded by the bank’s management and its board of directors as a strategic opportunity and the fulfillment of a social vision to accelerate the opportunity for this group to share the American dream.
The story offers the reader a unique experience to sit along side Pat McDonough, a 49 year old retired venture capitalist. Pat, a new director, finds himself fully committed and employed in solving the variety of problems as he becomes the bank’s Chief Executive Officer. As the economy weakens among failing sub-prime and commercial real estate loans, board conflict erupts. The board of directors and management are in constant disagreement and debate in an environment of differing backgrounds, values and egos. The growing differences of the board are particularly magnified by opposing political and social views. Compounding the future of the bank and the board debates are a series of board and management issues involving failing subprime and commercial real estate loans, breaches of ethical behavior, violations of securities and banking laws, undisclosed personal relationships and an intensely aggressive effort on the part of the banking regulators to change and control the bank.
In 1990, Robert Smith was the Chairman and CEO of Security Pacific Bank, then the fifth largest bank in the United States. The bank was merged into Bank of America in 1992 in the midst of an economic recession and an environment of troubled loans. A college graduate with a law degree he has been involved in business and banking for over 40 years. As a director, trustee or governor he has served on 26 boards including 6 NYSE companies. Mr. Smith currently run his own consulting company and remains on 5 boards including 2 banks, 2 universities and a private equity company.
In 1990, Mr. Smith wrote Dead Bank Walking, a non fiction account of the merger of Security Pacific Bank and Bank of America. The book was self published and commendation within the banking and financial community. There were two printings of the book with about 10,000 copies sold mostly through retail outlets and over the internet. The book is currently used by Wells Fargo Bank and Union Bank as a training vehicle for their young loan officers. Editorial reviews and excerpts from the book can be viewed on Amazon.com. The book was modestly promoted in California with several personal appearances on radio and television and at book signings.
Of numerous favorable reviews of the book by literary writers and banking professionals, two are of note.
“Fifty percent comedy, fifty percent tragedy, Dead Bank Walking is an exhilarating, timely and supremely unique business story populated by a cast of characters one would expect to find only in a work of fiction. Read it, and never think of your bank--or the people who run it--in the same way again.”
“….where Stephen King makes fiction sound like fact, Dead Bank Walking makes fact sound like fiction….”