Deposit Your Trust In Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Michael Schutt, vice president of commercial lending for Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank, wasn’t enjoying a slow-paced morning around his office. Instead, he was spending the morning of his holiday weekend stopping by a customer’s house to pick up mortgage paperwork. “It was inconvenient for them to get it to the bank or drop it in the mail,” he explained. “So I went and picked it up from them.”

That afternoon, Kathy Smith, manager of the Pasadena branch, had a commercial customer stop by the bank at closing time. “It was just after 1:00, and they were like, ‘Do I have to put it in the night drop? I really need to get it in,’” she recalled. “So we said, ‘Sure, we’ll take care of it.’ It was a business customer with a cash deposit, and we took care of it so they would get credit and help them avoid any kind of overdraft.”

Instances such as these — in which the Bay-Vanguard team goes above and beyond to help a customer — are what set the bank apart from others. Founded in 1873, Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank strives to make people feel comfortable and confident about where they are depositing their money.

“It was founded as a local community bank serving working citizens,” Schutt said. “It’s grown over the years, but we stay focused on our roots of always serving the community.”

As a full-service bank, Bay-Vanguard covers both residential and commercial needs — anything that a bigger bank can handle — while offering a friendly face to customers. “A live person answers the phone,” Schutt said. “Decisions are made locally, which is key, because with some other banks, decisions are not always made locally.”

Smith emphasized that there is a personal relationship there that customers would not find elsewhere. “We really know our customers,” she said. “As employees of the bank, we know you by name, not by number. We make that connection from the beginning. We know their needs and provide them with services that will fulfill their needs.”

A big part of serving their customers is being involved with the community, so the Bay-Vanguard team makes an effort to volunteer and donate wherever and whenever they can. Schutt and Smith are both active with Old Mill High School, where they help students with financial literacy, interview skills and resume writing. “Kathy and I both go out there and talk to the classes about money management skills and life skills,” said Schutt, who is a volunteer with the school’s international economics and finance Signature Program.

Bay-Vanguard is a member of the Pasadena Business Association and the North Arundel Chamber of Commerce, and once a week, its representatives can be found at Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant for a networking gathering of the Arundel Business Builders. The staff also collects donations of everything from school supplies to Christmas gifts to nonperishable foods for churches and other organizations.

“We’re real big on community and want to give back to the community, and we want to let the community know that we’re here,” said Kelly Bowman, vice president of marketing.

After 143 years, Bay-Vanguard is a well-capitalized bank and still seeks to grow, primarily through increasing the services it offers its customers. “By increasing our products and services, it helps us compete with the larger banks,” Smith said. “But we’re still able to offer that personalized service to our customers, and you don’t always get that with a larger bank.”

To meet the team behind Bay-Vanguard’s Pasadena branch, stop by 8070 Ritchie Highway in Pasadena from 9:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Thursday, from 9:00am to 6:00pm on Friday or from 9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday. More information is also available by calling 410-768-5300 or visiting www.bayvanguard.com.

Learning about the benefits of banking with a locally based institution might be the best decision a customer ever makes. “If life throws you a curveball, you may need to go in and talk with your lender,” Schutt said. “And at Bay-Vanguard, you have that ability. If you do everything online, you’re a number, and you don’t have anyone to talk to if that curveball comes your way and you need some temporary relief. You can have a discussion with us person to person.”