Advice from the head of Synovus Trust Company

Q: Synovus Trust Company is often described as offering the best of both a large and small company. Can you elaborate on that?

A: Certainly. As a subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp., we have access to extensive bank resources to meet all our clients' financial needs, from banking and investments to planning and trusts. Yet, we pride ourselves on our culture of caring and a reputation for hands-on service. We're small enough to forge personal, one-on-one relationships with our clients.

Some financial professionals like to say they work with clients from “the cradle to the grave.” But we work with many of our clients over several generations, so we like to say we work with them from the cradle to the next generation — and even beyond that.

There’s almost nothing financial we can’t do, from trust and estate settlement to financial, retirement and charitable giving planning. As part of our client support, we work with clients who need help paying bills, managing real estate assets, finding in-home caregivers, helping with tax preparation and coordinating many other hands on services.

Q: What makes your client service model stand out in the industry?

A: First, we take a team-based approach. Every client has a trio at their disposal: a relationship manager, a portfolio manager and an account specialist to ensure comprehensive support of their financial needs. Many of our trust officers are attorneys, and many are, or are, working toward their Certified Trust Financial Advisor certification. But beyond that core team, our clients benefit from connections to our broader Synovus partners, including Certified Financial Planner professionals, private wealth bankers and brokerage advisors, who bring a depth of expertise.

That’s a breadth of service and availability that smaller trust companies struggle to match. Smaller firms certainly have expertise, but they often lack the depth to deliver on their promises, especially when the relationship point person is unavailable or on vacation. At Synovus Trust, our team approach seeks to ensure continuity and reliability.