In 1995, right as the big banks began to buy up many of the little banks in the great banking consolidation, my grandfather, Gene Carter and my father, Tom Carter, opened up the Bank at Talcott and Prospect in Park Ridge, IL. In their first letter to the community, they wrote that their core strategies in running the bank would be to (1) hire courteous and competent employees, (2) invest in and use state-of-the-art technology, and (3) make all loan decisions in house.Staying true to those strategies has led to the bank’s growth. Our community, which was initially very local, is now national. What’s remained constant over the years is the bank’s ownership and management. We are family-owned and owner-managed. Over the last decade, four of my brothers and I have joined the bank – all of us are committed to its long-term success.Today, our mission remains centered on serving our customers: to be the bank they deserve.