Robert Cerminaro
Name: Robert Cerminaro
Title: Regional Executive of Commercial Banking in Connecticut, Santander Bank
Age: 49
Industry experience: 25 years
While in college at the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Cerminaro wanted to become a professional baseball player. But after those dreams ended, he joined the big leagues of banking and didn’t look back. He started at Merrill Lynch’s investment banking training program and eventually served in a number of different roles in the commercial banking and corporate divisions of Bank of America and KeyBank, before recently landing his current role at Santander. The Commercial Record caught up with Cerminaro to discuss how he plans to position his team in the Connecticut market.
Q: What is your strategy as you approach commercial lending in Connecticut?
A: My job is to grow Santander Bank’s commercial banking business and continue to build its overall brand awareness in this market. Lending is one aspect of what an institution can provide. Our goal as trusted advisors is to help businesses achieve their organic and acquisitive growth initiatives, optimize their capital structures and assist in delivering shareholder value. As part of a leading global bank, Santander can help our clients and prospects achieve this through our broad international, industry and capital markets capabilities and expertise. Our strategy is to deliver our valuable ideas, solutions and capabilities to more clients in Connecticut and every U.S. market we serve.
Q: What geographies and specific lending categories do you plan to target?
A: We’re excited about the continued opportunities we have in Connecticut across all geographies and lending categories. As I mentioned, Santander Bank is actively growing in the U.S. and we have deep roots in Europe and Latin America as one of the largest banks in the world, so we are well positioned to bring our value and expertise to more companies in Connecticut.
Q: What sets Santander’s commercial banking division apart from its competitors?
A: One of our key differentiators is our ability to serve as a trusted advisor and life-cycle financial partner to clients locally and abroad. Our vast international, industry and capital markets capabilities and expertise that serve our clients well in the U.S., also supports a variety of challenges that companies face in the international arena.
For example, Santander’s local presence throughout 10 core markets in Europe and Latin America gives us the ability to directly connect our U.S. clients, who are looking to grow abroad, with our local teams who can provide expertise and guidance in regulation, business development and product representation in each of the international markets where we have a presence. Also, our rates and foreign exchange capabilities, which are very strong and provide our customers with protection against volatility in both markets, sets us apart from many of our peers.
Q: How would you categorize spreads right now? What is your philosophy when it comes to spreads?
A: It’s still an issuer’s market, so spreads are compressing and structures are loosening. Given where we are on the yield curve and looking at spreads historically, we’re still at very low levels. However, there’s so much more to consider when it comes to choosing a banking partner. Being proactive and solution oriented is how Santander Bank differentiates itself from competitors. Building relationships and delivering value-added solutions to help a business grow and prosper, as a life-cycle financial partner, is how you become a trusted-advisor and earn lasting loyalty. We’re in the relationship business and a financial institution’s ability to advise and execute for the client is the priority. The overall value that you bring to the client is vital.
Cerminaro’s Five Tips for Companies When Choosing a Financial Institution:
- Select an institution that will be able to grow with your business and serve as a life-cycle financial partner.
- Select a banker who has proven his or her ability to consistently bring value-added ideas and solutions.
- Now is a good time to take advantage of the yield curve. Despite an uptick in rates, rates are still at historic lows.
- A company needs to look beyond just lending and consider an institution’s overall capabilities and expertise.
- Keep in mind when we gauge the creditworthiness of a borrower, we often look at the five “C’s:” character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions.
