Wachovia Bank Opens Today on Sunset

Wachovia Corporation will open its 34th financial center in Los Angeles County today when the doors open at its 5,000-sq.-ft. location on Sunset Boulevard, between Swarthmore and La Cruz. This means that eight banks are now vying for customers in the heart of the Pacific Palisades business district, but Linda Russell, Wachovia’s retail bank director for L.A. County, was optimistic during a preview tour on Tuesday. ‘I’m absolutely confident that there’s enough money to go around,’ said Russell, when queried by the Palisadian-Post, ‘and when people come in, they will realize we offer something different,’ in terms of Wachovia’s company-wide emphasis on customer service and its full spectrum of financial services. ‘I think it’s good for people to have opportunities and choices in their banking,’ said Russell, a 25-year veteran in the industry. As an introductory inducement for new checking accounts, Wachovia will put $75 in the customer’s account once it has been activated by writing a check. Customers also receive $25 for referring a new account, as does the new account holder. The new Wachovia center will have two financial specialists, Hector Cedillos and Yaniv Shimoni,who are ready to assist customers with their banking and financial-planning questions. This include free guidance for individuals and families in a private setting, ‘where we look at where you are financially, where you want to go and how to bridge that gap,’ said branch manager Jovon English. The center (which replaces the former Coldwell Banker office) will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. There are ATM machines inside the entrance lobby, and more than 50 offsite ATMS in the state as Wachovia builds a network beyond its 179 financial centers. Wachovia, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, conducted extensive research before developing its financial center prototype for the West Coast. Unique features of new centers include public restrooms and offices where customers can conduct their financial business in private. In addition, as part of its commitment to preserving the environment, Wachovia is using ‘green’ building practices to reduce impact. Some features include:   ’ Clearstories above vision glass to reflect daylight into the lobby and workspaces. ‘ High standards for air quality; building techniques that prevent tobacco smoke from getting inside. ‘ Preferred parking for low emitting, fuel-efficient cars. ‘ Building materials made of recycled content. ‘ Low flow fixtures that use 44 percent less water than standard fixtures.   ’ A cleaning staff that uses ‘green’ cleaning products.   The waiting area of the new Wachovia features paintings by two members of the Pacific Palisades Art Association, Esther Pearlman and Anne Schwartz. Other artists will be featured quarterly as part of the Association’s latest program, ‘Art in Our Community,’ which places fine art with merchants throughout the Palisades. Russell pointed out that for each of the past seven years, customers have ranked Wachovia No. 1 in customer satisfaction on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the nation’s most prestigious independent survey of customer service. In addition, J.D. Power and Associates ranked Wachovia No. 1 for customer satisfaction in home equity and mortgage lending. ‘Pacific Palisades represents an extremely attractive market for Wachovia,’ Russell said in a press release. ‘We are already receiving an enthusiastic response from residents who know that Wachovia is passionate about strengthening the neighborhoods we serve through employee volunteerism, philanthropy and community development.’ Wachovia now employs nearly 1,500 people in Los Angeles County and more than 9,000 people statewide. The company gives all of its employees four paid hours per month’or six paid days a year’to volunteer for the causes they care about. In 2007 in California, Wachovia: ‘ Contributed more than $11.4 million to charitable organizations through company and foundation giving. ‘ Provided more than $8.9 billion in community development loans and investments to revitalize neighborhoods. ‘ Logged nearly 26,000 hours of employee volunteer community service.   ’Our customer and our community service is how we’re measured as employees’internally, within the company,’ said Russell. ‘This is our first and foremost measurement.’