U.S. Bank expands its Private Client Group

Now, she’s putting her skills to work as vice president of wealth management in U.S. Bank’s Private Client Group.

“Golf doesn’t become as much fun when you do it all the time,” said Peebles of her decision to go back to work. “I missed my clients calling me and asking me for advice, and being able to answer their questions.”

Peebles sent out seven résumés and got three job offers. In addition to U.S. Bank, she received offers from another bank and a brokerage firm.

Ultimately, she took U.S. Bank up on its offer, stepping into a newly created position.

Peebles serves as a contact person for what U.S. Bank calls centers of influence – individuals who meet the criteria necessary to be served by the Private Client Group.

Specifically professionals such as CPAs, attorneys or doctors, or those who have $500,000 in assets to invest, or annual income of at least $150,000, are eligible for the Private Client Group.

U.S. Bank’s Private Client Group has two sides. The wealth management side, spearheaded by Peebles, handles investment management, trust issues and estate management. The private banking side, led by Vice President and Managing Director Steve Gassel, takes care of loans and other banking needs for group members.

Peebles and Gassel will work together, sharing their respective expertise – and drawing in other U.S. Bank representatives for any bank products or services – but their clients will only deal with them.

“Jami could have a client call her for anything involving U.S. Bank, and she can get an answer back to that person without having them endure the agony of an 800 number,” Gassel said.

Gassel has been with U.S. Bank for 16 years and opened its private banking office eight years ago. He said Peebles is a “perfect” fit for her new position, given her trust and investment expertise, combined with her position in the community and the time she’s spent building trust and investment relationships.

Peebles said the focus on and commitment to personal service is what drew her to U.S. Bank.

“You can go anywhere and get your investments managed, but building a relationship with your clients and getting to know them personally is the only thing that really makes you more valuable or unique,” she said.

Peebles said U.S. Bank manages $123 billion nationwide and about $1 billion locally for its upper-crust clients, but she is quick to note that in her new position, she’s not doing actual portfolio management. She’s also not replacing Nadia Cavner or her successor, Don Gass, who has since left Springfield, though she’s aware that there are people who have that misperception.

“We have our own investment firm that does research and analysis, and they make recommendations to our local portfolio managers, who meet, through me, with our clients, to talk about their specific needs,” Peebles said, noting that Cavner’s previous position was as a sales-based broker.

Her job, on the other hand, is in trust and investments, and her role is to meet with clients, discuss their needs and help them decide how to address those needs.

Peebles holds the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation and is a graduate of the National Trust Graduate School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.