Whitestone Citibank works at building relationships

For those who work at the Whitestone Citibank, banking is more than numbers and finance. It is about personal relationships and good feelings on both sides of every transaction.
“Building the relationship is the key,” said Olivia Soltan-Kondrup, the branch manager there. “It’s great to see everything go right and see people do things that they want to. When you see people achieve what they want, whether it’s buy a car, put their kids in college or go on vacation, [working here] is worth it.”
Located at 153-16 10th Avenue in Whitestone, Citibank will be having a grand reopening beginning on Oct. 29 because as Soltan-Kondrup said, the community deserves a bigger, better and healthier looking branch.
“We depend on the community and want to give them a better bank,” she said.
Soltan-Kondrup’s daily responsibilities focus on making the bank run smoothly, which relates to customer service and involvement with the community.
She said it would be hard to find another bank in the area that participates in community activities as much as her Citibank, which regularly sponsors charity events, such as the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival that was held recently.
“We do as much as we can with what we have and reach a great amount of people,” she said.
When it comes down to actual business, those at Whitestone Citibank are confident in the amount of services and products they provide.
They offer basic checking and savings accounts, IRAs and rollovers, many types of loans, financial assistance through the business partnership with Smith Barney investments, life insurance, credit cards and mortgages.
Because of the service and positive influence Citibank has on the community, Soltan-Kondrup said there is a phenomenal response with referral business.
“Referred business is the best you can get,” she said. “We know we’re getting customers that deal with basic banking to sophisticated investments and a lot refer their friends and business partners.”
Soltan-Kondrup gives a lot of credit to her associates at Citibank for making her job a little easier by providing a high level of passion and dedication for customers.
“It’s phenomenal to work with people dedicated to their job and clients,” she said. “They’re so enthusiastic about their work and what they can provide.”
Whitestone Citibank is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.
For more information about Citibank and its services, call 718-747-1219 or log onto their website at www.citibank.com. Or, if you want financial assistance for your business, www.citibusiness.com.