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Susan Yahn DiPinto
Susan Yahn DiPinto
Title: senior vice president of private banking, Berkshire Bank
Age: 59
Experience: 30 years
As Berkshire Bank prepares to open its new corporate headquarters in Boston, with a fresh look in the heart of the city’s Financial District on State Street, it is also bringing aboard new faces to enhance its presence in Boston and Worcester. One of those new faces is Susan Yahn DiPinto, who Berkshire hired in October as the company’s senior vice president of private banking. Before Berkshire, DiPinto was a senior vice president of private banking at Boston Private. Prior to that role, she did stints at other larger institutions such as Citizens Bank and Bank of Boston. In her new role, DiPinto is charged with leveraging her local experience to expand Berkshire’s customer relationships across the bank’s full suite of products and services. She will build a team of private bankers to assist in her efforts.
Q: How does your experience at Boston Private prepare you for your new role at Berkshire?
A: My private banking experience has evolved over the last 30 years. I’ve learned that what’s most important to clients is that their private banker provides timely and practical solutions to whatever banking issue they are facing at that point in time. In a private banking setting, confidentiality, professionalism and responding quickly are what’s most important to the client. With Berkshire Bank’s acquisition of Commerce Bank, we also see a great opportunity to now offer private banking services to companies and individuals in this market. As a Shrewsbury resident, I am familiar with the Worcester market and look forward to serving these clients as well.
Q: What is your strategy for growing Berkshire’s private banking business in and around Boston? How much emphasis does Berkshire want to put on the Boston market?
A: In addition to the Worcester market, the Boston market is an important part of the bank’s growth strategy. As we prepare to move our headquarters to Boston, we’ve hired experienced bankers and commercial lenders with deep roots in these communities. Our goal is to serve these markets well in banking and finance. In addition to the professional opportunity, what I found most important is the commitment the bank has to giving back to the communities that we serve. For example, in 2016, 100 percent of bank employees participated in some form of volunteerism.
Q: What is the key to growing core deposits right now? Is there a certain segment that you feel is very attractive?
A: In my view, the key to growing core deposits is one relationship at a time. I would say that our ideal clients are successful individuals, privately held businesses, private partnerships including law firms, accounting, and private equity firms.
Q: What does the future of the banking landscape look like in and around Boston? Is there enough room in this market given all the banks that have said they plan to put emphasis on the area?
A: While we’ve entered a competitive market, it is our belief that there is plenty of opportunity for Berkshire Bank in the Boston and Worcester banking landscape.
DiPinto’s Five Key Factors For Client Satisfaction That Everyone Knows, Yet Few Administer:
- Exceptional client service
- Experience
- One point of contact for a customer
- Confidentiality
- Professionalism
