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Borel Private Bank & Trust Company
Category: Financial Services Banks & Credit Unions Banks & Credit Unions [Edit]
433 California Street(between Leidesdorff St & Sansome St)
San Francisco, CA 94104
Neighborhood: Financial District
(415) 402-5900
8 reviews for Borel Private Bank & Trust Company
8 reviews in English
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Review from Matthew W.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2010
Borel is one of those first rate companies that you point to when you're trying to articulate the superlative value of small businesses.
Simply put, they "get it." I was fed up with being treated like an account number by the big banks, and my long search for a new home finally lead me to Borel. It was already an easy sell based on the excellent Yelp reviews and great word of mouth. But what sealed the deal was visiting the branch and meeting all of the outstanding people that work at Borel. As another reviewer put it best, Borel's ranks of employees are "amazing people, from the highest to lowest places in the bank."
In particular, I want to highlight the excellent service provided to me by Sue C., a VP and Deposit Relationship Manager based out of the California St. branch. The amount of energy she puts in to the customer relationship is simply without precedent. When was the last time your banker emailed *you* to let you know that a transfer you were waiting for had come in?
If it wasn't already clear, I can't recommend Borel enough. 5 stars. -
Review from Nanette S.
Palo Alto, CA
12/6/2011
Borel used to be great. However they have been taken over by a large institutional bank. Yesterday they converted to new online banking and it was a huge mess. Online access codes didn't work and the phones rang busy. They have also made the bill pay feature hugely inconvenient by requiring a separate access and several steps to get into the feature. The whole user interface looks awful compared to the old one. Since I do 90% or more of my banking online, this is a big deal to me. I am switching over to First Republic as their current interface is the same as Borel's old one. The people at Borel are very nice and it is not their fault that the bank merged, but when a large bank swallows a small community based one you just need to be aware that with size comes a degree of anonymity. It may all be fine after the transition is complete, but explore the features first.
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Review from Joe C.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2008
This bank uses real people, and they don't charge you extra to speak with them. They don't put holds on the checks you deposit. They'll give you a cup of coffee if you want one. They always know your name and act as if they're happy to see you. They don't mind answering questions.
At some level, a bank is a bank - but 5 stars for all the above. -
Review from Uncle Fishbits Aeneas X.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
9/15/2008
AMAZING service... incredible devotion and connection to the customer.
The other reviewers are spot on... this branch is a group of amazing people, from the highest to lowest places in the bank. -
Review from Mashimaro M.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2008
After unhappy results and services at banks such as Wells Fargo, B of A, WAMU, and even Citibank, someone recommended this bank, emphasizing their superior service and attention to detail. I opened all of our accounts at their Burlingame/San Mateo branches.
After meeting with one of their personal bankers and talking to them, I opened new accounts for our entire family there. Excellence. Efficiency. . . There just isn't enough complimentary words to describe them. -
Review from Mike A.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2007
Borel Private Bank is known for its GREAT service.
NO 1800 numbers, you actually talk to a live person right away.
You sit at the teller's desk, and there are no lines. -
Review from Miss J.
San Mateo, CA
8/24/2011
You may think the bank is okay, but you must stay away from the Trust Department, at the very least, but please remember, it is the same institution. Cups of coffee and knowing your name are not that important in the whole scheme of things, and it cannot bring back your money. How do you think they stay in business? By "using" your money. They are completely incompetent!! They will take your money for doing nothing, and they have no scruples whatsoever. It is all about them making money off you, and nothing about your money. They spend your money like water. They violate their fiduciary responsibility to you, and treat you like dirt if you object to their practices. There are several people in the community who feel the same as I do, since they have unfortunately been victims of Borel's practices. If you have a problem with anything they do, they will hire an attorney, who churns the bills since it is a trust, and you will have to pay their attorney fees, plus those of your own. A larger institution would never be have the integrity to do what they do, and I know this from personal experience. For instance, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs turned it down since they did not want to deplete the trust from what little cash it had.
Another example is that they neglected to pay the income taxes and the IRS Estate Taxes owed, but still paid themselves $25,000 per month. They bankrupted my family trust until they ran it into the ground.
They have bankrupted my family's trust. They refused to resign. It is all about them, and has nothing to do with the beneficiaries. They have lost more than one lawsuit against them, and one of the suits they lost was for $20,000,000. This is no joke. I could site more examples, but hopefully you will get the picture. Often, institutions are not all they are touted to be.
One of the reasons they even get customers into their Trust Department is because of the "good old boys" network, and local attorneys went to school with some of the Borel employees. -
Review from Janet P.
San Mateo, CA
9/23/2008
This bank is the best one in the universe. When my aunt died, I was the executor. My aunt had dealings with three banks: World, B of A (BANK OF ASSHOLES!!!!!!) and Borel. World wasn't too terrible, I do not want to speak the name of the other bank, but Borel was amazing. We walked in, chatted with a wonderful woman, they transferred the account to us. Done. Five minutes tops. I don't want to talk about the other experiences because it makes my blood pressure shoot through the roof. That experience led me to close all my own accounts and get one at Borel. I. Love. The. People. In triplicate. Any problem is never a problem. They can handle anything. The service is exemplary. No, they don't pay as much on CDs or Money Markets, but at least you can get your money out. And they help you and smile and work with you and never give you problems. I've never run into another financial institution like it.
