loan officer

senior loan officer

sales manager

First Federal Bank

    I wanted to take a moment to provide feedback about my experience working at First Federal Bank over the past 5 years.

While there are aspects of my role that I have enjoyed and appreciate, I am concerned about the overall workplace environment. Specifically, I have observed instances of inappropriate behavior that create an uncomfortable atmosphere. This includes incidents of leering, which, I believe, can contribute to a hostile workplace for employees.
There have been a few instances where I felt unsure about the appropriate channels for escalating concerns beyond my immediate team. More clarity in this regard could provide a sense of reassurance for employees facing challenging situations.

It’s important to note that these cons are specific to certain situations and individuals and do not reflect the overall company culture. 

I firmly believe in maintaining a professional and respectful workplace for all team members, and I believe addressing these concerns is essential to achieving that goal. I understand that promoting a healthy work environment is a priority for First Federal Bank, and I hope that my feedback can contribute to making positive changes in this regard.

Investigating these matters and taking appropriate steps to address any behavior that may be causing discomfort or distress to employees would be highly appreciated. This will not only improve the working conditions for current employees but also contribute to a more inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for future team members.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to seeing positive changes and improvements in the workplace environment at FFB.

Sincerely,
Employee 

Small company trying to play with the big guys. Greedy senior management lacking in the experience and skills necessary to take the bank to the next level. They use the experience of seasoned professionals from other cities to generate relationships, learn about other profitable lines of business and claim the success. If they cannot grow it, they buy it and then discard the most talented employees once the bank no longer wants to compensate as promised.

If you are looking for a short term job and don't mind making others successful for little in return, then this is the company for you! The only long term employees you will find in the company live in Lake City and the smaller surrounding areas where employment opportunities are slim to none. Most do not work past 5pm Lake City time so they are able to have a "balanced family life." Don't try to solve a crisis after hours...banker's hours DO apply for the hometown folk.

If you are talented and located in any other area, apply with caution! You will be used and thrown out on your hands within 12-18 months.

Only the rural survive!

You are on a draw system  so you must make sales otherwise you’re paying rent for being there. Once you make an actual sale you get charged whatever your hourly rate is from your commission. The leads are very cold and we are in a rising rate economy so not that many customers want to cash out their equity. The leads are from customers wanting info on basic mortgage  questions. The leads are then distributed unfairly. Good luck trying to make it there. 2 managers that have tempers. You are given a script that tells people they can get rates from as low as 3.25 which is not true. There is another housing bubble which makes this whole cashout system seem to be misleading many veterans thinking they can get a lower rate once they “cashout” their equity and in 6 months they can refinance into a Lower rate then what they got originally. Good luck getting time off. It’s like a sweatshop. Maybe with the new acquisition HR is an actual department composed of more than 1 rep. Just make sure you keep a record of all your conversations and check anyone trying to cross their lane.

Mainly busy, with many tasks to complete throughout the day. From cashing checks, processing deposits, verifying that checks and cash are genuine, completing change orders. Running checks to proof, filling out proper documents to complete transaction according to transaction. Offer bank products, answer phones, balancing, verifying incoming & outgoing shipments, etc. I learned to multitask but to be focused. At First Federal you learn something everyday. Many situations can be treated differently but with the only intention of meeting the customers needs. First Federal's culture is based on providing great Customer Service to it's customers always going above and beyond of what is expected. The hardest part of the job is probably dealing with angry customers because we weren't able to meet a need, risking loss to the company. But it's all worth it when we know that the majority of the customers left content.

What is the best part of working at the company?
All interactions with co-workers was good, and most people were supportive. I worked remotely and this was during the pandemic. There were so many changes going on simultaneously, it was sometimes chaotic, perhaps controlled chaos is more appropriate to use here. Great benefits.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Too many changes occurring all at one time in an industry that's always changing on its own to begin with. New systems deployed and then the initial learning curve with the old system, then layered with the new system and then onboarding multiple banks or other failed institutions... it got crazy.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
For once, not enough Chiefs! Made for long days without support.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical work hours, but not enough time to handle the business of the day and no OT available to perform necessary functions/workload.

Every morning we would have a morning meeting. Always fun and laughing. There would always be some kind of activty to make the work place a fun place to be. Everybody enjoyed their work because our employees always made you smile even on a bad day. Thats what made our customers happy. Because if your happy the customer can see what positive atmispher we had Which would make the customer happy. On a day to day bases I would  phone calls back to back with loan questions and concerns. Will help the customer to the best of my ability and if I did not have the answer I would get it for them. Also dealt with taxes and escrow. Made notes with every customers I spoke with.  I loved being an emlpoyee for first federal. Great people!

Instead of trying to provide changes and upgrades in how business is handled and how customers are treated the waste time and resources going through employee emails to see if they’re saying anything negative about the bank.  Management simply doesn’t care, they don’t even try to do things differently.  Their standard answer to everything is we are doing the best we can.  Stop hiring people that don’t know what they’re doing and care about the employees that do their jobs well.

This is a 5 star bank, very conservative and risk adverse bank. This is kind of a bank where you would find in "Mayberry". The employees are down home and friendly. They have goals like all banks, but don't beat you up on a daily basis. They are very quick to fire employees. If you are not producing enough or make any mistake you are gone very quick, no second chances.

I work in a fast-paced office and am responsible for preparation of foreclosure suits and handle the process from beginning to end.  Working in this field of law, I run across some very difficult situations. The most enjoyable part of the job is the pleasant work environment and helpful and cooperative co-workers.

In the beginning it was a fun job until I got promoted. The new hire training went good, the promotion training did not. The business is so overly busy that they try to rush the training and expect you to catch on extremely quick. If you don’t catch on when they want you to catch then they will fire you and hire someone else. They basically give up on their employees after they’re promoted. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Loan officer 12 salaries reported	$75,000 per year
Senior loan officer 1 salary reported	$76.00 per hour
Sales manager 1 salary reported	$74,000 per year

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