Gulf Capital Bank (GCB), the first new bank to open in Houston in the US state of Texas in over a decade, is including letters of credit (L/Cs) in its service offering.

The bank's business model looks back to traditional banking practices in which relationships are of paramount importance while it also aims to leverage the latest technologies to provide customers with competitive services.

Services and approach

The bank offers L/Cs, secured and unsecured commercial loans, cash management, online banking, mobile deposits and consumer loans.

GCB says it aims to redefine the value of a bank by offering the personal relationship touches of a traditional community bank, including traditional walk-in services.

It aims to combined these with the ease of state-of-the-art banking technology and global connections provided by a group of Houston's business and civic leaders.

Personalised experience

To enhance the personalised experience, customers visiting the bank will be greeted by a concierge representative who will personally assist them with their banking needs.

The concierge service is also available to meet customers at their place of business or residence if they are unable to make it into the bank.

The bank recently completed raising more than US$93 million capital, considered to be the largest ever capital raise of any new bank in the history of Texas.

This article represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of the ICC or Coastline Solutions.