This article aims to provide an introduction to the Harris Bank, detailing the services and products it offers to US banking consumers.
History of Harris Bank
Harris National Association Bank, formally known as Harris Bancorp, Inc., is a Midwest financial company founded in 1881 by Norman Wait Harris. The Harris Bank was built on everyday principles that Harris believed were necessary through raiding a successful bank in these included always being honest conducting fair deals. Harris Bank had apparently set out from the beginning with one goal in mind and that was to always satisfy the bank’s customers. Obviously, this was probably a sound goal to keep in mind since this past year Harris was the highest ranked retail bank in the Midwest Region for customer satisfaction in a survey conducted by J.D. Powers and Associates.
Today, Harris Bank is a financial institution presenting comprehensive and integrated personal and business banking services to more than 1.2 many customers. It is owned by the Bank of Montréal (BMO Financial Group) providing corporate investing and banking services through BMO Capital Markets. However, the bank began as a dream that Harris held to help America in its westward push in the late 1800s when the New England native moved to Chicago, Ill., where the company is still headquartered today.
Humble Harris National Association Bank Beginnings
From humble beginnings as a mutual bonds trading company – N.W. Harris & Co., – the bank re-focused and was renamed in 1907 as the Harris Trust and Savings Bank.
For a little more than the next half a century, Harris operated throughout the Chicago are until beginning an era of active acquisition that started when merging with Chicago National Bank. The number of acquisitions and mergers continued through 2008 with the company expanding operations not only throughout the Chicago area, but into Arizona and Florida as well. Today, Harris Bank is the third largest bank in Chicago.
Harris Bank Services
Harris Bank offers a number of personal banking solutions including traditional services such as checking and savings accounts. The bank believes opening a Harris account should provide customers with a great deal of value that should not only be convenient, but affordable as well. With its Harris Extras Checking, customers gain access to a wide range of benefits that include receiving deposit bonuses, loan discounts, and free transactions on all Harris-owned ATMs along with free introductory checks when first opening an account.
Harris Bank savings account products are many. They vary from accounts providing great liquidity while possessing the high yields associated with money market investment through health savings accounts to a number of different vehicles acting as tax-deductible Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Furthermore, Harris purports to offer competitive returns on financial resources invested in Money Market Accounts that offer flexibility and management control for customers seeking savings solutions for the present and for the future. Advertized Harris Bank safe and secure growth savings products include a variety of Certificate of Deposit products that can anchor any personal investment portfolio with terms as short as one month and as long as five years.
Harris offers a full line of mortgage products with loans based on a fixed rate providing a stable and consistent approach to home lending. Individuals seeking the ability to place a low-down payment purchasing a new house can opt for the use of an adjustable rate mortgage which may be the wise choice for people planning a short ownership from three to seven years.
Harris Bank continues through the 21st century as a premier financial institution offering all and every type of financial solution to its customers.