“Spring Bank makes a difference by helping New Yorkers reach their goals.”  – Smile Butt, Credit Analyst Summer Intern

For Smile Butt, a senior at Fordham University majoring in finance, her personal mission of making a difference in her career aligns with the work she’s doing here at Spring Bank. Over the past three months, Smile has had the opportunity to dive deep into the world of annual financial reviews and strategic financing at our bank in NY.

Having first learned about Spring Bank through a family friend, Smile was drawn to the fact that we are a certified B Corporation. She had been aware of the B Corp certification but was unaware of the certification for financial institutions. Our commitment to ethical banking sparked her interest in pursuing an internship here.

“I didn’t realize that banks could be B Corp certified. Bigger banks do not reach out to the people in our community,” Smile reflects. “For me, working for a mission-driven bank is more meaningful.”

As a Credit Analyst Summer Intern, Smile performs annual reviews to ensure our loan portfolio remains healthy and strong. She finds the most interesting part of her job to be analyzing and researching loan risks. Within a few weeks of working with our commercial real estate team, she discovered our approach to lending is human-centered and customized. We don’t view “risk” in the same way as traditional financial institutions.

“Just because a loan may be deemed riskier doesn’t mean that people [and businesses] shouldn’t be offered support,” Smile explains. “There’s no ulterior motive working with Spring Bank—they are actually trying to help people.”

Our unique community-driven mission has given Smile a new outlook on the banking industry. This perspective is at the heart of our commitment to providing growth opportunities for individuals and small businesses, especially those who may not have access to traditional banking services. Our dedication is evident in our commercial real estate and small business loans, designed to help New Yorkers achieve their financial goals.

“Spring Bank is good at guiding people to help improve their financial mastery. Where some people might not know how to navigate the lending process, Spring Bank can offer that support,” she says.

Working at a bank that prioritizes community has made Smile’s internship experience even more valuable. She also appreciates the opportunity to interact with clients and build trustworthy and transparent relationships. Such hands-on experience is exactly what she was looking for when seeking an internship in finance.

“This is my first banking internship, and I didn’t know much about lending at first, so I’ve learned a lot in this experience,” she says. “It feels good to work with people in the New York community. This aspect makes it a lot more personal and meaningful.”

As she prepares for her final year at Fordham, Smile hopes her experience at Spring Bank will lead to a long-term career in banking. Through her role in assessing loan risks and capital availability, she is gaining confidence and looks forward to exploring other roles within our commercial real estate lending team.

“I recommend joining the team at Spring Bank. The team is great, and you can learn so much. It’s a community bank, so everyone is accessible, even the executive team, making it easier for you to explore various roles and learn a lot,” Smile shares enthusiastically.

Learn more about our human approach to lending. Explore our commercial real estate program here. Whether you’re looking for the best savings account online, a new business bank account, or help with small business accounts, we are ready to help you reach your financial goals.

Contact us today.