When we founded AloStar Bank of Commerce, a team of veterans of the financial world, who've been at the very top of some of the biggest financial institutions in the world Ai Bank of America, Citicorp, Wells Fargo Ai came together to create something entirely different. Being at the top of such companies gives you a unique perspective. You witness the struggle of the middle: You see the challenge of the middle class to be heard and respected by financial institutions that have grown so large they can't maintain a culture of personal service. You observe the attempts of middle-sized companies to be seen and financed in a world that seems to reward size regardless of merit. And, knowing what your own institution is facing, you become keenly aware of the struggle of the community banks and credit unions to manage through declining revenues and increased federal regulation.