Trust Officer - New Hampshire - Community Financial System, Inc.

Overview:

At Community Bank System, Inc. (CBSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 230 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we’re committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CBSI, we offer competitive compensation, good benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

Responsibilities:

New Hampshire Trust Officer is responsible for the administration of fiduciary relationships of Nottingham Trust in New Hampshire. The individual will be a subject matter expert and provider of services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients. The job requires a keen attention to detail, understanding and mastery of various computer systems, and an ability to delegate and manage support staff. The Trust Officer also needs to enjoy people and be able to personally interact in a gracious, yet, when appropriate, firm manner with all trust beneficiaries and their professional advisors. The Trust Officer must be a self-starter and realize the importance of quick and accurate work to meet the various deadlines of each fiduciary relationship as well as new business efforts

The Trust Officer will be responsible for servicing and administering accounts in a fiduciary capacity in accordance with account agreements, terms of legal documents, Trust Policy, State fiduciary statutes, banking regulations, and federal/state laws. The types of accounts to be serviced may include but are not limited to: non-discretionary agency accounts; discretionary agency accounts; directed trusts; divided trusts; delegated trusts; directed and discretionary IRAs; guardianships/conservatorships; various types of trusts including revocable, irrevocable, and testamentary trusts; and estate settlement accounts. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

 

New Business Support:

 

This position shall support Nottingham Trust’s growth objectives in the New Hampshire marketplace including: 

• Meeting with potential clients, support in finalizing proposal to clients, and assisting with closing potential opportunities. 
• Being available to meet future clients who are considering naming us in their estate plan. 
• Represent Nottingham Trust in the professional communities in New Hampshire and adjoining regions. This may include lunches, events, speaking engagements, or sponsorships. 
• Creating and maintaining relationships with key center of influence (e.g. accountants, attorneys, financial planners and other wealth management personnel) to generate new business, utilizing our software and tracking tools to record interactions and implement agreed marketing or sales plans. 
• Assist in developing and refining our new business strategy for the New Hampshire marketplace, including traveling to meet key centers of influence.
• Promote Trust services to internal and external sources.

Trust Administration:

• Responsible for overseeing administration of assigned fiduciary relationships. 
• Maintain courteous, thoughtful, and empathetic relationships with beneficiaries and their professional advisors. 
• Responsible for handling non-routine issues relating to specific accounts, beneficiaries, or assets which may include supervision of third parties, experts we retain, and interfacing with the beneficiaries’ professional advisors. 
• Advise the Nottingham Trust’s Chief Fiduciary Officer regarding specific trust or fiduciary issues.
• Provide/gather clear documentation of all transactions, client interactions, or decisions, ensuring our internal policies and procedures are followed including annual reviews
• Administer accounts in accordance with stated account agreements and/or legal documents to ensure fiduciary duties and responsibilities are carried out to avoid risk and/or surcharges to the Bank.
• Administer and settle estates in accordance with a decedent’s Last Will & Testament. 
• Respond to inquiries or requests for information from clients/beneficiaries, accountants, attorneys, courts, interested parties, auditors, regulators, and internal Bank personnel, as appropriate.
• Document account files to reflect client/beneficiary communications, instructions, and authorizations to avoid/minimize risk to the Bank.
• Communicate account instructions/changes, as needed, to Trust Management, portfolio managers, tax preparers, and operations personnel. 
• Maintain updated account files and ensure trust accounting system reflects accurate coding for regulatory and risk management purposes.
• Perform annual administrative reviews on accounts, and other annual, quarterly, daily, and/or recurring tasks as required by applicable policies, laws and regulations, governing documents, and/or court orders. 
• Direct liquidation of funds, when needed, for distributions and/or expenses from account.
• Analyze, recommend or determine discretionary distribution decisions in accordance with legal instrument and Trust Policy.
• Oversee and administer unique/non-standard assets in accounts, including real estate, when applicable. 
• Prepare interim and final accounting for trusts and estates, as needed.
• Interface with federal and state regulators as necessary.

New Fiduciary Accounts: 

• Collaborate with onboarding staff to complete the documentation to properly convey assets into the name of Nottingham Trust/NH. 
• Effectively work with the Chief Fiduciary Officer to make sure the necessary legal documents are in place and key fiduciary risk areas are addressed in a timely fashion.
• Work with portfolio managers in the development of investment objectives and Investment Policy Statements
• Comply with Bank and Trust operating policies and procedures.
• Achieve client service goals as established in the Bank’s operating plan.

 

Qualifications:

Education, Training and Requirements:

• J.D., CTFA, CFP®, MBA, Bachelor’s degree, or related professional experience. 
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Skills:

• Strong inter-personal skills; strong written and verbal skills including comfort level for public speaking; strong analytical and problem solving skills; ability to analyze, comprehend, and interpret legal documents; strong mathematic skills;  accounting knowledge; income tax knowledge and/or experience; strong attention to detail with ability to work independently and manage deadlines/workflow; self-starter; strong computer skills including use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; knowledge of trusts, estates, investments, employee benefits, and estate planning; valid driver’s license.

 

Experience:

• A minimum of 5+ years of experience in trust industry with a minimum of 3 years of experience as a Trust Officer and/or trust business development

Job Reporting Relationships:

 

Supervisor: New Hampshire Regional Manager - Trust

Supervises: Trust Administrator, Trust Administrative Specialist

 

Min:USD $80,000.00/Yr.Max:USD $139,633.00/Yr.Other Job Information:

Compensation: Commensurate with experience. In addition to your competitive salary, you will be rewarded benefits including: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation, Medical, Vision & Dental insurance, 401K with generous match, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, Banking discounts and the list goes on!

 

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk or sit. Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to focus.

 

The Company is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

The Company will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability. If you have a physical or mental impairment and would like to request an accommodation with respect to the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department.