The regional director had spent twenty-seven years building his career at Harborstone Bank.
He began as a junior credit analyst.
Moved into branch operations.
Managed several profitable offices.
And eventually became responsible for the bank's most prestigious Manhattan locations.
He knew the numbers.
Deposit growth.
Loan performance.
Customer retention.
Private banking referrals.
And the branch rankings that executives reviewed each quarter.
The flagship branch consistently performed well.
Its manager delivered impressive revenue.
High-value customers praised her attention.
And her team regularly exceeded targets for investment referrals.
Whenever the regional director visited, the lobby looked immaculate.
The employees wore perfect uniforms.
The manager greeted him with a smile.
And the performance reports showed a business apparently functioning at the highest level.
He had never imagined that a woman capable of producing those results would publicly tear up a customer's check.
But sitting across from the new CEO, he began confronting an uncomfortable possibility.
Perhaps the numbers had been telling him only what he wanted to hear.
The CEO looked toward him.
“Have you ever reviewed the customer complaints from this branch?”
He nodded.
“Of course.”
“How many?”
He hesitated.
“I don't have the exact number.”
“Over the last eighteen months?”
He looked toward his tablet.
“I'm sure compliance can provide that.”
The CEO studied him.
“I'm asking whether you know.”
He swallowed.
“No, ma'am.”
She nodded slowly.
“Then tell me what you do know.”
The director took a breath.
“The branch has consistently ranked among our strongest offices.”
“By what measure?”
“Revenue, private client referrals, customer satisfaction—”
She raised one hand.
“Customer satisfaction among whom?”
He stopped.
The question seemed simple.
But he suddenly realized he couldn't answer it.
The surveys focused heavily on customers who completed transactions.
The reports didn't always reveal what happened to people who were turned away before receiving service.