“Manny” called late one afternoon and needed a $1.5 million commercial real estate loan. Before discussing his bank relationship over the phone or initiating an application, I had to “authenticate” him. Authentication involves a series of questions about his bank relationship that only the proper owner could answer correctly. He answered them correctly and without Read More

A husband and wife team owned a plant nursery and garden store. The store was small, and located in a relatively upscale, established neighborhood. We saw each other from time to time when they came in to make deposits with the tellers. One day, they sat down with me and told me that they had Read More