Name confusion coming to an end for bank

Private Bank of Buckhead saw opportunity in potential confusion

When Private Bank of Buckhead opened its doors in December 2006, it almost immediately was faced with an added hurdle in terms of making its name known. Turns out that PrivateBancorp, out of Chicago, had recently acquired Atlanta’s Piedmont Bank and would be rebranding that bank as The PrivateBank.  So, literally just down the street a sign soon went up reading “The PrivateBank.”

“We took it in stride,” says Charlie Crawford, President, CEO and Chairman of Private Bank of Buckhead. “If nothing else, it created conversation and gave us additional opportunities to tell folks about our bank.”

Crawford is reflecting on the similarly named banks as The PrivateBank location near Private Bank of Buckhead closes its doors as part of the repurposing of the building it is in. That building is becoming the Atlanta Tech Village (www.AtlantaTechVillage.com), a business incubator of sorts. (The PrivateBank continues to have a presence in Georgia, as its Norcross location remains up and running.)

“Of course we experienced the confusion you might imagine,” Crawford says. “We had a caterer, a courier and even a reporter from a national news bureau show up at the other bank, thinking they were at ours. But, for the most part, any confusion was incidental.”

That said, Crawford is proud that the bank is poised to celebrate its seventh anniversary in December, having weathered one of the toughest banking climates in history.

“We are thankful that the market has embraced us,” he says. “Consumers responded to the notion that all bank clients should benefit from the heightened level of service other banks reserve for a certain few. That’s what our name is intended to signify and I am proud that our team makes that real for our clients every day.”

Since opening, Private Bank of Buckhead added a strong SBA lending department that is designated a Preferred Lender by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It also added Private Mortgage Services, a dedicated mortgage solutions division, and last year rolled out a Decatur office, known as Private Bank of Decatur, which celebrates its anniversary October 22.