2009 Maverick Banker of the Year Named

BAI Banking Strategies named FirstMerit Corp.'s Julie A. Grossi "Maverick Banker of the Year." The award recognizes Executive Vice President Grossi's innovative approaches to generating deposits and achieving profitability growth at the Akron, Ohio-based company. Ms. Grossi received the award at the annual BAI Mavericks in Banking forum in Chicago, sponsored by Microsoft.

Since Ms. Grossi joined FirstMerit in January 2007, she has been instrumental in designing and implementing strategic marketing initiatives that enabled the bank to grow low-cost core deposits and enhance customer loyalty during a period of nearly unprecedented turmoil in the financial services industry. Of particular note is FirstMerit's non-interest "Reality Checking" program, which attracts customers with various free features and benefits. Reality Checking and its related Reality Savings package helped the $11 billion-asset FirstMerit to increase its core deposits by 9.2% last year.

Finalists for the BAI Banking Strategies "Maverick Banker of the Year" award, also honored at the BAI Mavericks in Banking forum, included Stephen M. Ellis, executive vice president for Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco; Paul Halpern, senior vice president for E*Trade Financial Corp., New York, N.Y.; Daniel H. Hoke, senior vice president for Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp; and Mark D. Quinlan, executive vice president and chief information officer for Associated Banc-Corp., Green Bay, Wisc.

2009 Maverick Banker of the Year

(from left) Debbie Bianucci, President and CEO, BAI; Colleen Healy, General Manager, Financial Services, Microsoft Corporation; Julie Grossi, Executive Vice President- Retail, FirstMerit Corporation; Warren Lewis, Marketing Director, Banking Industry, Microsoft Corporation

Read the press release

The 2009 BAI Banking Strategies Maverick Banker of the Year and finalists are profiled in the May 2009 issue of BAI Banking Strategies online.