Q&A: Guaranty executive looks to future after 2022 merger

Becky Scorse, who has more than 25 years of commercial banking experience in Springfield, was named president of Guaranty Bank on Jan. 6.

For the past decade, Scorse served as chief lending officer, first holding that role at Springfield First Community Bank and retaining it through the company’s 2022 merger with Guaranty Bank under the umbrella of Moline, Illinois-based QCR Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: QCRH).

As chief lending officer, Scorse is credited with leading a fourfold increase, to over $2 billion from $500 million, in assets.

Guaranty Bank CEO Monte McNew, also a former leader at SFC Bank, had served as president in addition to his chief executive position, said Erin Lawrence, Guaranty Bank vice president and director of marketing. The role previously was held by Shaun Burke, who died in April 2024. Scorse is slated to continue her chief lending officer responsibilities as she takes on the president job.

What are your priorities as Guaranty Bank’s president?
We have been together as we are in this state almost three years now since we put the merger of Springfield First Community and what we refer to as the legacy Guaranty Bank together. It feels like this is the first year that we can really look forward because it takes a lot to merge two equal-sized banks. We’ve really been a little inwardly focused over the last couple of years as we’ve gotten system s and cultures and processes and all those things ironed out. But it feels like we’re there. I’m really excited about just continuing to focus on our employees, our culture, and also maintaining that customer service that is really the most important thing that we have to offer. I always tell our employees all the money is green, the only thing we have different is us. We are not just Springfield now; we have Springfield, Ozark and Nixa, and now we also have Carthage, Joplin, and Neosho. There’s definitely room for expansion in both of those markets. It’s exciting to kind of settle in, and my job will really be to support our team, make sure they have the resources and training that they need to continue to offer everything our customers expect and require.

Guaranty Bank is No. 2 in deposit market share in the Springfield metro area as of June 30, 2024. What’s your strategy in increasing your market share?
We want to be in the No. 1 spot, but we’re also very proud that we’ve gone from No. 4 to No. 2 pretty quickly. We just skipped right over third place. Our strategy is the same as it is in growing our loan side of the bank. It’s literally offering the best products and services – a heavy focus on services – taking good care of our customers, making sure that their needs are met, making sure that our technology is current, making sure that our products are competitive, and again, having the right people to deal with our customers and make them want to be here.

Why did Guaranty Bank decide to separate the president and CEO role?
It was separated originally ... and unfortunately shortly after the merger, Shaun Burke became very ill and then passed away. We put those two roles back together for a while just to give it some time and see how that worked. We’re big enough with 14 locations and $2 billion in assets, to be the president and the CEO is a lot. We feel like there’s enough responsibility and role there that we need to break it up a little bit. My focus will be more people related, more on keeping that customer service level the way we are, making sure teams have the support and training and resources that they need. Monte can then focus more on the financial aspect of the business and the profitability and those types of things that are so critical to our success.

What is Guaranty Bank’s relationship with its parent company, QCR Holdings? How does that play out in day-to-day operations?
We are still very much a community bank, and they are a holding company. Everything that touches a customer, including the decisions that are made, are done here locally. We have our own board. We have our own charter. They offer us support that we wouldn’t have otherwise if we were just a $2 billion bank. We have the benefit of being in excess of an $8 billion holding company. It gives us some additional resources. We are a community bank first and foremost, and I think everyone that works here, that’s why they’re here and that’s what they want. It’s very different than being a branch of a national bank.