|
 It
is almost twenty-five years since a new branch of our Trustee Department
was opened and it is, therefore, something of an occasion to be able to
feature the Birmingham Trustee Department in our pages. The opportunity is appropriate to do some plain speaking
about the work of these departments for there have been many misconceptions
about both work and the prospects of those engaging in it. The departments have also had to fight
an uphill battle to persuade the older generation of branch managers to
interest themselves in and to foster this side of the Bank's work.
 There
was at one time very much in evidence the attitude that "serious"
banking, whatever was meant by that, was only concerned with the operation
of current and deposit accounts, a little investment and insurance work,
safe custody and, of course, the lending of money. As for encouraging
people to make proper wills and appoint the Bank as their executor, or
appoint the Bank as trustee for marriage settlements and so on, well, this was
all a bit beyond the scope of many who did not see that the existence of
these specialised departments placed the means at their disposal of helping
them to occupy the same position, financially speaking, in the lives of
their customers, as did the old style family doctor, medically speaking.
Here indeed is the complete banking service, bringing the bank manager and
the trustee officials into the closest possible touch with the Bank's
customers at the most important happenings of their lives—births, marriages, deaths.
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By the intimate presence of a sympathetic and highly trained
official to bring help and guidance to people, often in times of
bereavement, in the wise use of their material resources, not only is the
strength of the relationship between banker and customer enormously
enhanced, but the continuance of the connection is guaranteed: the business
does not drift away at death. The new generation,
products of the various training schemes, are alive to all this and so the trustee
departments ought to begin, indeed are beginning to benefit from their
understanding of the truth that although a particular branch may not
benefit immediately from the work done by its manager in giving new
business to the Trustee Department, there is benefit for the Bank as a
whole in the increase of its business. The other big misconception arises
in the attitude of the staff towards membership of one of the Trustee
Departments. Let us acknowledge that there is a noticeable reluctance to
"burn the boats" so far as straightforward banking is concerned
and specialise in this side of the Bank's work. There is a feeling that one
might wait a long time for promotion and there is the idea that
preoccupation with the affairs of the dead is both depressing and
stultifying.
 Well,
preoccupation with the living, often in a much more intimate, vital and
even dramatic way than the average branch manager experiences, is the day
to day pattern of the trustee official's life, as even a moment's thought
will show, and the man whose work makes things easier for those who are
bereaved can indeed feel that he is doing a worthwhile job. And here is a note for our young men. There are
vacancies in the Trustee Departments due in part to the growth of business,
and if that side of the Bank's work which has to deal with estate agents,
solicitors and accountants appeals, with its promise of greater variety
than straightforward banking, those interested should make themselves known
to us and ask to be considered for transfer. Well, it sounds as though we
have been thoroughly indoctrinated, and, in fact, a visit to the new
Birmingham Trustee Department could not help but result in the visitor
catching some of the enthusiasm of Mr. Powell and his staff for the work in
which they are engaged.
We thought, before our visit,
that it might be difficult to find anything to say about a new trustee
department, but after listening to Mr. Powell the job was easy. He entered
the Bank in the Manchester District in 1934 and served at St. Ann's Square,
Moss Side, Queen's Park, Collyhurst and Shudehill before his first contact
with trustee work at Manchester in 1941. He was appointed Pro Manager of
Manchester Trustee Department in 1954, and four years later he was
appointed Pro Manager of Head Office Trustee Department, a position he held
until his appointment as Manager of the new Birmingham Trustee Department. His second-in-command is Mr. W. E. Richardson, who
entered the Bank in 1941 at Byker. He served with H.M. Forces from
1943-1947, afterwards returning to Byker for a short time before becoming a
member of the North Eastern District General Manager's staff. He entered
Newcastle Trustee Department in 1948 and in 1954 he went to Coatsworth
Road. In 1956 he was back in Trustee Department and then he began to
specialise in Income Tax, joining the Newcastle Income Tax Department last
year. His job in Birmingham Trustee Department is Income Tax.
At the time of our visit
on June 29th, Mr. J. N. Quine was a temporary member of the department, on
loan from Head Office Trustee Department. We were glad to be able to
include him in the account of our visit because he has been of great
assistance to the new department and they were very sorry to see him go. Mr. E. C. Lloyd entered the Bank in 1953 at Northampton
and this is his first experience of Trustee work. He is taking it seriously
and intends to study for his Trustee Diploma when he has completed his
Banking Diploma examinations. There are
two girls—Miss Janine C. Stonehouse and Miss Janet Wright. Miss
Stonehouse entered the Bank in 1958 and has been in District Office. Miss
Wright also comes from District Office and has been in the Bank 18 months. A good staff and a future for the new department which
is full of promise, if keenness and enthusiasm are anything to go by.
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