Talking Points: Robert Peters Washington state president, Bank of America

Bob Peters, Washington state president, Bank of America, took over the Washington operations of Bank of America in 2009, just as the bank faced a subprime mortgage crisis tied to its acquisition of troubled Countrywide Financial. Now, Peters is leading a drive to get the bank, which built its dominant local presence through the acquisition of Seafirst Bank in 1983, to take better care of its customers.

Leslie D. Helm | January 2013 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Hayley Young

Bob Peters took over the Washington operations of Bank of America in 2009, just as the bank faced a subprime mortgage crisis tied to its acquisition of troubled Countrywide Financial. Now, Peters is leading a drive to get the bank, which built its dominant local presence through the acquisition of Seafirst Bank in 1983, to take better care of its customers.

EARLY LIFE: I was born and raised near Oakland, California. I grew up admiring Jacques Cousteau and came to the University of Washington in 1979 with a plan to study marine biology. I was on a swimming scholarship and made the Olympic development team that year. I also looked at the University of California, Santa Barbara, but when I saw people carrying surfboards on campus, I thought that was too much of a risk. There would be too many distractions.

FAMILY: My great-grandfather emigrated from Denmark and worked for Bank of America for 35 years starting in 1908. He passed away at 90. As a child, my job when I visited him in Fresno was to go into his closet in the morning, grab his wooden leg, put a sock on the stump, put him on the wheelchair and wheel him out to a card table where he would play pinochle with friends. They were all former customers whom he had worked with through the Great Depression.

CAREER: I realized that marine biology was going to be a hard lifestyle from a family perspective, so I got my undergraduate degree in international studies. In 1985, I joined Seafirst Bank in the mailroom. A year later, I moved into the commercial banking business. Starting at the bottom of the company, I learned the importance of having respect for everyone at the company.

CHALLENGES: When I became president in 2009, those were difficult years for the whole community. I remember that my great-grandfather used to say: “You can’t help everyone, but you help as many people as you possibly can.” The impact [of the recession] on our consumer business was significant, as people lost their jobs and weren’t able to pay their mortgages. Bank of America is doing a lot to help. We’ve modified over 2,400 loans here in Washington.

LEADERSHIP: In difficult times, people want to have confidence in the organization they are working for. That means clarity and vision, a commitment to do