Banking on Integrity

Hazem Ahmed
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Explore the heart of Houston's business community with Banking on Integrity, brought to you by Integrity Bank. Join founders Hazem Ahmad and Mack Neff as they interview local entrepreneurs, sharing their journeys of success, overcoming challenges, and driving Houston forward.

  1. 8h ago

    Season Two Recap: Food, Family, and Integrity

    Hazem and Mack close out season two by revisiting Houston restaurant families and the bankers who helped build Integrity Bank. From Mama Ninfa’s tortilla and pizza factory to the new Integrity team, they highlight how family, work ethic, and community banking together create gathering places for a growing city. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways Phyllis Mandola’s family turned a tortilla and pizza factory into the original Ninfa’s, shaping Houston’s Tex‑Mex identity. Her story shows hospitality as “my house is your house,” with guests treated like visitors in the family home. Domenic Laurenzo recalls Ninfa’s growing alongside “Boomtown”‑era Houston, making tacos al carbón and Tex‑Mex widely popular. Judy Budnik shares a full‑circle path from special assets and Houston National Bank to Integrity Bank’s relationship‑driven culture. The recap ties restaurant legacy and community banking together as different expressions of the same values: integrity, service, and neighborhood roots. Timestamped Overview 00:33 Hazem sets the intention to keep the recap brief while honoring the people and themes that defined the season before heading into season three. 00:52 He begins with Phyllis Mandola, describing how her family turned a tortilla and pizza factory on Navigation into the original Ninfa’s and shaped Houston’s food identity. 02:00 Phyllis shares her “homemade entrepreneur” parents, creative extended family, and grandparents who fled Mexico and rebuilt their lives in Texas. 04:00 She explains the mix of tortillas and pizza, the Italian‑Mexican family roots, and her uncle’s invention of the tortilla machine that helped launch the business. 06:00 Hazem recalls Tony Mandola’s restaurant as a constant celebration space, and Phyllis credits Tony’s hospitality and “mi casa es su casa” philosophy for that atmosphere. 07:35 Hazem transitions to Domenic Laurenzo, noting the Laurenzo name many Houstonians grew up with and how it has expanded into concepts like Lorenzo’s Cantina. 08:00 Domenic describes growing up as Ninfa’s expanded from Navigation to Westheimer and Gulf Freeway, and how the restaurant grew alongside booming “Boomtown” Houston. 10:00 He reflects on his grandmother’s practice of greeting guests at the door and the way Tex‑Mex, tacos al carbón, and simple comfort food spread across the city. 12:00 Hazem connects these restaurant stories to Integrity Bank’s own beginnings, emphasizing that both are rooted in family, work ethic, and service. 14:00 The recap turns to Judy Budnik, who started in special assets, learned “what not to do,” and then joined Mack at Houston National Bank. 16:00 Judy shares how mentors like Mike Moser and Mack shaped her path, and how she transitioned from credit analysis to lending and business development. 18:52 She describes joining Integrity Bank as a full‑circle moment, seeing the bank as a family and a chance to fill a niche left by consolidation in the market. 21:00 Hazem and Mack reflect on community banking’s role in supporting multiple generations of business owners and the satisfaction of seeing customers’ children take over. 23:00 They tie together the season’s themes: restaurant families, bankers, and entrepreneurs all building gathering places and businesses rooted in integrity. 25:00 Hazem invites listeners to learn more about Integrity Bank, to nominate entrepreneurs whose integrity and impact deserve a microphone, and notes that season three will start in September. 27:00 Mack and Hazem thank listeners for joining them through season two and reiterate their commitment to sharing more Houston stories in the next season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Jul 21

    How a First‑Generation Houstonian Became Integrity Bank's CFO

    Hazem sits down with Integrity Bank CFO Betsy Reese to unpack what makes a bank financially strong and how small business owners can read the signals. Betsy shares her journey from first‑generation immigrant and deposit ops clerk to lender, CPA‑track accountant, and Rice MBA graduate leading the bank’s financial health and safety. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Betsy’s banking career began in high school in deposit operations, where she learned payments and reconciliations from the ground up. 2. Moving into lending pushed her from introvert to people‑focused banker, giving her a view of customers and credit. 3. Merger uncertainty led her to pursue an MBA at Rice while working and parenting full time. 4. She gained hard‑earned experience guiding a troubled bank back to “safe and sound” under regulatory scrutiny during COVID. 5. Betsy stresses that becoming a CFO requires understanding accounting, operations, lending, and regulation, not just classroom knowledge. Timestamped Overview 02:00 Betsy shares her background as a first‑generation Chinese immigrant in Houston and her first job in deposit operations reconciling accounts and learning the payments system. 04:00 She describes leaving deposit ops for lending to avoid repetitive work, joining the chief lending officer’s team, and confronting her introversion as she started dealing with people. 06:00 Betsy talks about how lending work changed her personality, gave her customer exposure, and set the stage for later roles in accounting and finance. 08:00 She explains why bank mergers often eliminate roles like CFO, her dislike of uncertainty, and her long‑standing question about whether to sit for the CPA exam. 10:00 Betsy recounts choosing instead to pursue a full‑time MBA at Rice University while working full time and raising children, highlighting the support of her husband and classmates. 12:00 She describes navigating five different CEOs in one institution over five years, the bank’s COVID‑era troubles, and regulators pausing operations with a “speeding ticket.” 14:00 Betsy explains what “safe and sound” means in practice and how that experience taught her to run a bank more conservatively and with stronger discipline. 16:00 Hazem asks about the path to becoming a CFO, and Betsy walks through the need to understand accounting, operations, lending, and regulation before leading the bank’s finances. 18:00 She talks about measuring the bank’s health day to day—looking at capital, liquidity, asset quality, and profitability—and how those numbers fit together. 20:00 The conversation turns to how small and medium‑sized business owners can interpret basic bank performance indicators and why they should care about their bank’s strength. 22:00 Betsy reflects on Houston’s role in her career, the opportunities the city provided, and why she chose to stay in community banking rather than move to a Big Four track. 24:00 Hazem and Betsy discuss balancing growth with prudence, what “too much growth” can look like in banking, and how Integrity Bank aims to avoid those pitfalls. 26:00 She shares what a “good day” looks like for her as CFO and how she thinks about protecting both depositors and shareholders while supporting customers. 28:00 Hazem closes by tying Betsy’s story back to Integrity Bank’s mission and the importance of disciplined, relationship‑driven community banking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Jul 14

    How Tough Cycles Can Teach You How to Lend With Discipline

    Booms can make you careless. Busts can teach you how you never want to run a business again.Hazem and Mack sit down with Wade Comeaux, CEO of Catalyst Funding, a Houston-based lender focused on real estate investors, to talk about what he learned from the pre‑crisis mortgage world and why he built his company to behave differently. Wade shares how government pressure, exotic loan products, and easy money contributed to the last meltdown, why Catalyst focuses on fix‑to‑rent, DSCR loans, and long‑term partnerships, and how he thinks about leadership, culture, and concentration risk when the cycle inevitably turns. Learn more about Catalyst Funding (https://catalystfdg.com/). To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Wade’s early years in national mortgage lending showed him how quickly good intentions and flexible products can morph into bad credit. He describes the pre‑crisis environment of stated‑income loans, high‑LTV deals, and pressure to lend into certain zip codes, and how that experience shaped his approach. 2. Catalyst Funding was founded in 2014 to be more countercyclical and investor‑focused. Instead of chasing refi waves, the company centers its business on fix‑to‑rent, fix‑and‑flip, and long‑term DSCR loans that help real estate investors build wealth over time. 3. Loan size is only one piece of risk; the borrower is the other. Wade explains why Catalyst has done loans up to the low‑million‑dollar range, but how experience, track record, and overall exposure to a single client matter as much as the dollar amount itself. 4. Banks like Integrity are key capital partners, and they care deeply about concentration. Wade walks through how he talks to banks about larger loans, what they look for in “compensating factors,” and why a strong narrative and data‑driven underwriting can unlock exceptions when it makes sense. 5. Leadership through cycles is about culture, not just spreadsheets. The conversation closes with Wade’s thoughts on avoiding whipsaw hiring and layoffs, building a team that understands risk, and remembering that you can borrow money and ideas—but conviction about your model has to be earned the hard way. Timestamped Overview 01:10 Wade traces his career through large mortgage lenders and describes the pre‑crisis boom in creative home loan products02:30 How government policy and pressure around certain zip codes and income levels helped fuel looser credit decisions03:50 Stated‑income, high‑leverage loans, and the mindset that home prices could only go up05:30 Why Wade chose to launch Catalyst Funding in 2014 after living through layoffs and volatility in the mortgage business07:25 Grassroots beginnings: finding his first clients, doing early hard money deals, and blending investor and lender experience09:00 What Catalyst funds today: fix‑to‑rent, fix‑and‑flip, DSCR loans, and conventional refinances for real estate investors11:00 Minimum fees, typical loan sizes, and why Catalyst’s largest loans have been around the low‑million‑dollar range12:30 How banks that fund Catalyst think about single‑borrower and single‑loan concentration, and when they’ll stretch14:00 The importance of borrower experience, underwriting, and story when asking capital partners to take more risk16:30 Wade’s view on leading through interest rate moves and cycles, from hiring decisions to communicating with investors19:00 Why he believes culture and conviction matter more than chasing the hottest product of the moment21:00 Closing thoughts from Hazem and Mack on partnering with lenders like Catalyst and helping investors build responsibly See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jul 7

    Starting a Running Shoe Company in College: Veloci’s Origin Story

    Dreams can stay on the track. Or they can turn into something you stand on every day.Hazem and Mack speak with Tyler Strothman, collegiate distance runner and founder of Veloci, a performance running shoe company he started while at Rice University. Tyler shares how small town miles, sport management classes, and a simple desire to keep people comfortable and pain free led him to launch a brand focused on helping runners and everyday athletes stay active longer. Learn more about Veloci (https://velocirunning.com/) To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Tyler built Veloci out of his own life in running, treating the brand as a way to give back to the sport and community that shaped him, not just a way to sell product. 2. He chose Rice during COVID without visiting campus, moved to Houston sight unseen, and used the university’s sport management and entrepreneurship ecosystem as a launchpad for the company. 3. Veloci started in January 2025 with one model and two colors, then expanded into a stability version for overpronators and is now adding a faster “super trainer” so runners can match shoes to different training days. 4. The core of the brand is comfort and longevity: Tyler talks about reducing pain, extending the life of healthy miles, and designing for both serious runners and everyday wear. 5. Instead of waiting for a perfect path, Tyler treated Veloci as his real world business education, learning through customers, product iterations, and the discipline of shipping something new. Timestamped Overview 00:01 Hazem introduces Tyler Strothman and Veloci, setting up a conversation about a college runner who started his own performance footwear company. 01:00 Tyler explains what Veloci does and who he designs for, from serious runners to people who just want all day comfort in a running shoe. 03:20 He shares how growing up on farms and country roads in Wisconsin and Indiana led to a love of running, team culture, and pushing himself. 06:10 Tyler talks about deciding to attend Rice during COVID, choosing the school based on calls with coaches and teammates and moving to Houston without a prior visit. 08:20 He describes majoring in sport management, loading up on business and entrepreneurship classes, and seeing Rice as a launchpad for doing real work in the world. 11:15 Veloci’s launch story in January 2025: starting with one shoe and two colorways, chosen in part by counting what colors students wore into the campus gym. 13:10 Expansion into a “sister” stability shoe for overpronators and the decision to build a faster “super trainer” so runners can match shoes to different training days. 15:15 A practical look at shoe lifespan, why most people should think about replacing running shoes around 300 to 400 miles, and how wear patterns differ by stride. 18:00 Tyler reflects on seeing Veloci shoes on more feet and how customer feedback shapes decisions about new models and colorways. 20:00 Hazem and Mack talk about Tyler’s passion, why this is not just about making money, and how his focus is on solving a real problem for active people. 22:00 Tyler shares what he has learned so far about product design, manufacturing, and balancing performance with comfort and durability. 24:00 Conversation turns to the realities of being a young founder, including juggling training, classes, and startup demands, and what sacrifices that requires. 26:00 Tyler talks about what keeps him motivated on hard days and how he measures success beyond sales numbers. 28:00 Hazem and Mack offer closing encouragement, tying Tyler’s story back to Houston’s entrepreneurial spirit and the kind of founders Integrity Bank wants to support. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Jun 30

    Beyond the Rate: What Integrity Bank Looks for in a Deal

    Risk can sink a bank. Or it can push you to get radically clear about what you say yes to, and why. Hazem and Mack unpack how they actually look at loan requests at Integrity Bank, sharing stories that span decades of community banking, from a borrower whose partner emptied the account to a wealthy client who hadn’t paid down principal in three years. They talk through the tension between grace and discipline, why character still matters as much as collateral, and how a fast no can be one of the most respectful answers a banker can give. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Behind every “yes” or “no” is a full picture of cash flow, collateral, and character. Hazem and Mack explain how they look beyond a single ratio to understand a borrower’s business, personal situation, and track record before making a decision. 2. Relationship banking means walking with people through hard seasons, not just funding their wins. The stories they share, of borrowers who were wronged by partners, or who struggled for years, show how repayment, honesty, and effort shape what a banker is willing to do next. 3. A fast “no” is often kinder than a slow “maybe.” Instead of dragging owners through weeks of paperwork only to decline, they emphasize the importance of being direct, so entrepreneurs can pivot, seek other options, or rethink a deal before it’s too late. 4. Even wealthy borrowers are not immune to tough conversations. Mack recounts stepping into a bank in the mid‑1980s and confronting a blue‑blood client with an unsecured six‑figure loan that had not been reduced in three years, underscoring that discipline applies across the board. 5. Integrity, in practice, is about protecting depositors while still trying to fuel dreams. The episode closes with reflections on what “relationship banking” really means at Integrity today and how clear communication, realistic structures, and mutual trust can make or break a long‑term relationship. Timestamped Overview 00:00 Hazem and Mack open the episode reflecting on what “relationship banking” means in 202605:10 A borrower loses everything when a partner wipes out the account and still pays the bank back over time07:35 How long memories, second chances, and consistent effort shape a banker’s willingness to help again10:30 The line between compassion and enabling: when to restructure, extend, or finally say no14:55 Mack discovers a wealthy River Oaks client with a large unsecured loan and no principal payments in three years17:15 What that conversation taught him about trust, accountability, and cleaning up a credit culture20:00 Why a fast no can be a sign of respect and how they try to avoid “slow maybes” that waste an owner’s time22:30 How Hazem and Mack think about protecting depositors while still supporting entrepreneurs’ dreams25:00 Final reflections on character, candor, and why the best banking relationships feel more like partnerships than transactions See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Jun 23

    Still a Mom: Meet the Woman Who Turned Grief Into a Gift for Houston

    Grief can break you. Or it can show you exactly what you were always meant to do. Hazem and Mack sit down with Jackie Pham, founder of the CEO Foundation, a Houston nonprofit named after her three children, Colette, Edison, and Olivia, who were lost along with her mother in a tragic accident five and a half years ago. Jackie shares how a career in corporate finance and an MBA from Rice gave her the tools to rebuild with purpose, how the CEO Foundation partners with Houston nonprofits to empower the next generation of leaders, and why she believes showing up for others is one of the most powerful things any of us can offer. Learn more about the CEO Foundation at ceofoundation.org. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. The CEO Foundation is named for Jackie's three children: Colette, Edison, and Olivia. After losing all three and her mother in a single accident, Jackie chose to keep parenting through the foundation, channeling her grief into a mission to empower the next generation of leaders, change makers, and community members. 2. Rather than choosing one cause, Jackie built the CEO Foundation on a partnership model, supporting over 30 Houston nonprofits whose work aligns with the spirit of each of her children. The foundation also helps these organizations with marketing and awareness, filling a gap that many smaller nonprofits cannot fill on their own. 3. The CEO Foundation's annual gala flips the traditional charity auction model: instead of bidding on experiences to keep for yourself, attendees bid on items that are donated directly to nonprofit partners and shared with underserved children, giving kids a first Rockets game, a birthday trip to a museum, or simply a guaranteed school lunch. 4. Jackie spent nearly her entire career in corporate finance, eventually serving as a CFO, but found herself wanting work whose purpose she could explain to her own children. That desire led her to startups, an MBA at Rice, and ultimately to founding the CEO Foundation after her loss. 5. Her advice to anyone who has suffered significant loss, or to any organization that wants to make a deeper community impact, is rooted in connection: show up, listen, engage with everyone you meet, and recognize that bridging the right people together can be just as powerful as writing a check. Timestamped Overview 00:31 Hazem welcomes Jackie Pham, founder of the CEO Foundation00:58 The meaning behind CEO: Colette, Edison, and Olivia01:30 Losing her three children and her mother in a tragic accident02:20 Deciding she was still a mom and founding the foundation to keep working for them03:18 The partnership model: supporting 30-plus nonprofits rather than choosing one cause04:30 How Jackie chooses partners whose work speaks to each child individually05:00 The CEO Foundation's role in marketing and awareness for smaller nonprofits05:41 How the annual gala works: bidding for others instead of keeping what you win06:50 Giving underserved kids their first NBA game or museum visit and what that means to families07:44 Spotlight on East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry and sponsoring kids' sack lunches09:50 Giving 100 tickets to the Children's Discovery Center to be shared as birthday gifts10:33 How community programs keep kids safe, supervised, and away from harmful influences11:50 The Nehemiah Center: after-school care for children of healthcare workers near the Med Center13:49 How programs like these keep kids out of trouble and build self-confidence14:06 Jackie's academic and professional background: UH undergraduate, Rice MBA, career in fintech and corporate finance14:41 Why she started questioning corporate finance and sought more purpose through grad school15:39 Learning to tell the story through the numbers for organizations she truly believed in16:30 How becoming a parent changed what she needed her career to mean17:46 Working in carbon project development and how she explains meaningful work to children19:00 A moment of laughter about explaining banking and community impact to your own kids19:31 Hazem on how hardship becomes a passion and why giving is an act of gratitude20:05 Jackie's answer: one day at a time, making them proud, doing right by them21:40 Mack's reflection on the quiet inspiration Jackie gives to people going through their own grief22:26 Bowes Place: working with grieving families and children who have lost someone23:15 A little boy at a dinner event, a photo of his brother, and a conversation about missing someone every day24:36 What Hazem and Mack can do beyond banking: connections, engagement, and knowing people's full stories25:22 Jackie's advice: the people who bridge connections are as important as those directly in the work26:50 Why the word "relationship" in banking has to mean more than an account number28:27 How to find and follow the CEO Foundation: website, Instagram, and Facebook at CEO for good29:40 How many local nonprofit foundations exist in greater Houston and how CEO Foundation fits in30:48 Closing gratitude and invitation for listeners to support the foundation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Jun 16

    How Integrity Bank Protects Borrowers and Depositors at the Same Time

    Hazem and Mack sit down with Integrity Bank Chief Credit Officer Chris Favre, who once left a consulting career at Ernst and Young for an industry he barely understood at the time. What followed was a front-row seat to the 2008 recession, years of overseeing foreclosures, and a pivot from lender to the person who stress-tests every deal before it goes to committee. This episode covers what a chief credit officer actually does, how Integrity Bank evaluates investment real estate, and why personal guarantees and credit history still matter more than most borrowers expect. To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Chris came to banking through a back door, starting at Ernst and Young in management consulting, realizing quickly that a 22-year-old had no business advising Fortune 500 companies, and finally taking a mentor's advice to call about banking after years of ignoring it. The transition clicked almost immediately because he could finally explain what he did to his grandmother. 2. His timing in banking has twice been painfully instructive: he joined a lending desk in early 2007 just as the marching orders went from "make loans" to "don't make loans," and spent years overseeing foreclosures and selling repossessed properties before landing at the first Integrity Bank in 2012 as a welcome reset. 3. The chief credit officer role is not about saying no. It is about identifying strengths, naming weaknesses honestly, and then finding applicable mitigants so that every deal that goes to loan committee has been stress-tested and every risk has a documented reason for being accepted. 4. On investment real estate, Integrity Bank looks for 25% equity contribution, a 1.25x debt service coverage ratio, post-closing liquidity, personal guarantees, and a global cash flow analysis of the guarantor's full financial picture, not just the subject property. 5. Working capital lines operate on a different logic than real estate: the bank lends against eligible receivables at up to 80%, strips out anything over 90 days old, applies concentration limits of 25% per customer, and watches the days sales outstanding as a real-time signal of whether a business is generating profit on paper but running out of cash in practice. Timestamped Overview 00:31 Mack introduces Chris Favre, Chief Credit Officer and longtime colleague00:55 From Ernst and Young consulting to banking: how Chris found his career03:07 Why banking finally felt like a home industry and why he could explain it to his grandmother03:26 Joining a lending desk in 2007 and living through the shift from "make loans" to "don't make loans"04:04 Foreclosures, courthouse steps, and why joining Integrity Bank in 2012 was a welcome change04:45 What the original Integrity Bank was and how many of the same teammates carried over05:12 What a chief credit officer does: the six C's, underwriting, and loan committee presentations06:36 Why every borrower thinks their deal is incredible and why that requires a devil's advocate07:08 The "Dr. No" trap and why identifying weaknesses without mitigants is the real failure08:06 The three-part framework: strengths, weaknesses, and applicable mitigants09:27 Why having been a lender first makes Chris more effective as a credit officer10:08 How community banking's flat structure creates better credit decisions than siloed institutions11:46 Chris's seat on loan committee and why his voice matters in every approval decision12:41 Breaking down a million-dollar investment real estate deal from a credit perspective13:00 The 75% advance rate, 25% equity requirement, and post-closing liquidity standard14:55 Why cash equity matters for the borrower as much as the bank15:30 Global cash flow analysis: looking at the guarantor's full picture, not just the property16:31 Why personal guarantees are a standard expectation at Integrity Bank17:42 Credit scores, credit history, and why one big hickey is better than a lot of small ones19:47 How the 2008 recession changed the banking industry's view of bankruptcy and character22:01 The bank's responsibility to depositors and why that shapes every credit decision23:32 Why a borrower's projected upside does not change the bank's fixed rate of return24:58 How appraisals and lease maturity analysis factor into a real estate credit review25:51 Working capital lines: how receivables aging, inventory turns, and days payable work together28:14 The borrowing base formula: 80% of eligible receivables and the concentration and taint rules29:31 The taint rule explained: why one delinquent account contaminates all new receivables from that customer29:58 A third loan category: spec construction financing and how draw structures work for builders31:56 Why Chris's transparency about the bank's credit appetite is unusual and valuable32:08 How Integrity Bank manages portfolio concentration without turning off longtime customers33:38 Mack's closing reflection on asking Chris to make the leap from production to credit See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Jun 9

    Closed in 37 Days: What a Well-Run SBA Loan Actually Looks Like

    Hazem and Mack sit down with Mark Danford, Managing Director of Waterstone and a 14-year veteran of SBA lending. Waterstone is a full-service outsourced SBA division serving 34 community banks across the country, and Mark is the person who knows how it all works. In this episode they cover how the SBA loan guarantee program actually functions, why Houston did $1.1 billion in guaranteed loans in 2025, the 504 versus 7A distinction, policy changes under the current administration, what disqualifies a business from the program, and what it takes to close a deal in 37 days. Learn more about Waterstone (https://www.b1bank.com/waterstone). To learn more about Integrity Bank, go to itx.bank. Subscribe to Banking on Integrity on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Key Takeaways 1. Waterstone functions as a fully outsourced SBA lending division for community banks, handling everything from initial borrower meetings through underwriting and closing, while the bank retains all credit and funding decisions. It currently serves 34 banking partners ranging from $34 million to $9 billion in assets, with two thirds of those banks outside of Texas. 2. SBA loans are not a rubber stamp or a bailout program. They are commercial loans with a government guarantee designed to extend reasonable terms to creditworthy businesses that fall just outside a bank's conventional risk parameters, whether due to startup age, ownership transitions, or limited collateral. 3. Houston is one of the most active SBA markets in the country, generating $1.1 billion in guaranteed loans in 2025 alone, driven by the city's density of startups, diverse industries, and a culture that rewards entrepreneurship across every sector. 4. The 7A and 504 programs serve different purposes: 7A is flexible and can cover working capital, acquisitions, and equipment alongside real estate, while 504 is designed for long-term fixed assets with a lower blended rate. Beginning July 5, the two programs are being decoupled so a business can access up to $10 million by combining them. 5. Waterstone has maintained a 100% SBA approval rating across 14 years and 34 banking partners by prioritizing complete documentation, proper eligibility screening, and prudent underwriting before any application is submitted, proving that good lender behavior is what preserves the program's integrity and keeps guarantee honor rates above 97%. Timestamped Overview 00:00 Banking on Integrity intro00:31 Hazem introduces Mark Danford, Managing Director of Waterstone00:39 What Waterstone does and how it functions as an outsourced SBA division01:36 Waterstone's relationship with Integrity Bank and its acquisition by b1BANK in 202402:24 How many banks Waterstone serves and where they are located02:49 The size range of Waterstone's banking partners, from $34 million to $9 billion in assets03:09 Why SBA lending capability matters for any bank serving a city like Houston03:26 Houston's $1.1 billion in SBA guaranteed loans in 202504:51 How often deals get declined and what disqualifies a loan from the start05:28 Why about half of what Waterstone reviews moves through the approval process06:01 The origins of the SBA in 1953 and why small businesses drive 97% of employment06:48 What happens to small business growth without reasonable SBA terms07:33 Maximum and minimum SBA loan amounts under the 7A program08:09 The emerging $10 million SBA headline and what it actually means08:34 Explaining the 504 program: fixed assets, real estate, debentures, and blended rates10:54 How decoupling 7A and 504 limits opens a path to $10 million in combined financing11:20 How SBA policy changes happen and how frequently the rules shift under new administrations13:00 The current administration's push to support US manufacturing through higher guarantees14:17 How often the SBA honors its guarantees and what lenders must do to earn it15:08 Why prudent lending behavior is as important with SBA loans as without16:18 How multiple SBA loans to the same entity work and how collateral stacks across transactions19:35 What better terms actually means for a small business borrower: down payments, amortization, cash flow20:00 A concrete example: financing dump trucks at 100% over 10 years versus 20% down over 522:32 How Waterstone engages from the first customer conversation through closing25:39 Waterstone's 100% SBA approval rating across 14 years26:28 Turnaround times: 37 days on one end, 339 days on the other27:23 Why every business owner should maintain an organized financial file before they ever need a loan27:53 How timely tax filings and organized records signal management quality to lenders29:05 How many lender service providers exist nationally and how Waterstone differs29:38 Industries that are and are not eligible for SBA loans30:49 Disqualified business types: nonprofits, marijuana-adjacent businesses, restrictive membership clubs See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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5
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14 Ratings

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Explore the heart of Houston's business community with Banking on Integrity, brought to you by Integrity Bank. Join founders Hazem Ahmad and Mack Neff as they interview local entrepreneurs, sharing their journeys of success, overcoming challenges, and driving Houston forward.

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