（張旭婧 營(yíng)銷管理專家 企業(yè)文化顧問）

在歐洲危機(jī)中盛開的小銀行

就當(dāng)歐洲焦頭爛額之際,，一位意氣風(fēng)發(fā)的美國(guó)企業(yè)家卻在雄心勃勃地打造一家冉冉升起的企業(yè)，所選行業(yè)恰恰是近年拖累全球經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入衰退,、令人避之不及的銀行業(yè),。

       這位偏向虎山行的斗士就是弗農(nóng)•希爾，他在倫敦開設(shè)的Metro Bank大受歡迎,，剛剛私募籌到2億美元新鮮資本,，擔(dān)當(dāng)融資顧問是業(yè)內(nèi)資深人士梅里迪斯•惠特尼。A列表投資者包括Fidelity,、Moore Capital的路易斯•貝肯,、對(duì)沖基金SAC的史蒂夫•科恩以及紐約兩大房地產(chǎn)家族勒弗萊克斯和魯本斯。還有很多人希望投資這家可能改革英國(guó)銀行業(yè)的公司,，還沒來得及出手,，募集金額就已滿。

        2010年7月,，希爾創(chuàng)建了Metro Bank,，種子資本2億美元，第一批投資者很多也參與了第二輪融資,。兩年后的今天,，希爾正在憑借他在美國(guó)開創(chuàng)的模式，以驚人的速度贏得客戶,。希爾曾用近30年將Commerce Bank從費(fèi)城郊區(qū)一間分支機(jī)構(gòu)打造成了美國(guó)東北地區(qū)一家大銀行,。2008年，他把Commerce以85億美元賣給了Toronto Dominion (TD),，然后瞄準(zhǔn)了一個(gè)相比美國(guó),、競(jìng)爭(zhēng)弱得多的市場(chǎng)——138年來,，沒有一家新的“大眾”銀行（英國(guó)人對(duì)零售銀行的稱呼）獲得牌照。

       幾十年來,，掌控英國(guó)市場(chǎng)的是大約六家墨守成規(guī)的銀行,，其中兩家勞合社（Lloyds）和蘇格蘭皇家銀行（Royal Bank of Scotland）已不得不接受政府救助�,！芭f模式已經(jīng)行不通,，”希爾表示，“他們的分支機(jī)構(gòu)在走下坡路,。投資不足的情況已持續(xù)多年,，沒有任何改進(jìn)或創(chuàng)新的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)壓力�,！毕　栒J(rèn)為,，目前英國(guó)銀行業(yè)處于拐點(diǎn)，Metro是方向所在,。

       迄今為止，Metro Bank已在大倫敦區(qū)建立了12家分支機(jī)構(gòu),，預(yù)計(jì)今年年底還會(huì)再開8家,。希爾表示，在美國(guó),，其他銀行的分支機(jī)構(gòu)每月能新增20個(gè)賬戶就算很好了,，Commerce則遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)勝出，每個(gè)月能開立約300個(gè)新賬戶,。而Metro的分支機(jī)構(gòu),，每月能新增750個(gè)賬戶。位于Holborn地鐵站對(duì)面的Metro Bank旗艦行已獲得2億美元存款,，是美國(guó)成熟分支機(jī)構(gòu)均值的四倍,，而且仍在快速增長(zhǎng)�,！拔覀儚膩頉]有在Commerce的分支機(jī)構(gòu)中看到過這樣快的增長(zhǎng),，”希爾感嘆到。

 為什么Metro如此成功,？對(duì)于希爾而言,，這完全就是打造一個(gè)偉大的零售品牌，而這個(gè)品牌恰巧是一家銀行而已——Metro的廣告詞是“終于愛上你的銀行”,，反映的正是他對(duì)提供快速的,、不同尋常的客戶服務(wù)的癡迷。Metro的分行機(jī)構(gòu)正在紛紛掛起描繪百年前周邊環(huán)境的懷舊大壁畫,，還有神奇錢幣機(jī)（Magic Money Machines）可以在接受你的分幣后吐出一張憑證,，憑此到柜臺(tái)換紙幣,。歡迎攜帶寵物貓狗，提供洗手間,。只需15分鐘,，Metro就可以開好賬戶，向客戶發(fā)放一張借記/貸記卡,。

 希爾預(yù)測(cè),，到今年年底Metro的存款額將達(dá)到9億美元。但這只是一個(gè)開始,。他的目標(biāo)是在大倫敦區(qū)開設(shè)200家分支機(jī)構(gòu),，取得5%的市場(chǎng)占有率，這大約是2005年左右Commerce在紐約大都會(huì)地區(qū)的占有率,。為此,，現(xiàn)有存款需要膨脹約90倍至約800億美元，是Commerce售予Toronto Dominion 時(shí)規(guī)模的兩倍,。對(duì)希爾而言,，銀行業(yè)大把的錢來自于低成本存款的累積。梅里迪斯•惠特尼表示,，“弗農(nóng)基于服務(wù)的模式重塑了美國(guó)銀行業(yè),，在英國(guó)也有望如此�,！�

 希爾心愛的約克郡特里爾杜菲爾德（昵稱杜菲）在Metro營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)中占據(jù)主導(dǎo)地位,。“杜菲會(huì)在銀行開業(yè)時(shí)露臉,，但它不喜歡獎(jiǎng)給狗狗的小食,，”希爾說，他承認(rèn)杜菲吃的是羊排和煙熏大馬哈魚,。因此,，希爾在給愛狗的顧客分發(fā)三種狗食小樣，請(qǐng)他們投票,，他們的寵物最喜歡哪種,，將來他將在分支機(jī)構(gòu)提供最受歡迎的狗狗小食�,！坝幸馑嫉氖窃谶@里,，狗狗真的能投票，”希爾表示,。

 倫敦也在投票,，人們正在走向這些裝飾著紅色大M的玻璃屋，希望獲得前所未有的,、歡樂輕松的銀行服務(wù),。

 譯者：早稻米

While Europe burns, a flamboyant American entrepreneur is building a thriving franchise in the misbegotten sector that's famously menacing the world economy: Banking.

The proud contrarian is Vernon Hill, whose London venture, Metro Bank, is such a smash that he's just raised $200 million in fresh capital in a private placement, advised by industry veteran Meredith Whitney. The A-list of investors includes Fidelity, Moore Capital's Louis Bacon, Steve Cohen of hedge fund SAC, and two New York real estate families, the LeFraks and Reubens. Plenty of others wanted to bet on this unlikely campaign to revolutionize British banking, but couldn't get in before the coffers were full.

Hill launched Metro Bank in July of 2010 with $200 million in seed capital, backed by many of the same investors who contributed to the second round. Two years later, Hill is winning customers at an astounding rate with the model he pioneered in the U.S., and then exported. Over almost 30 years, Hill built Commerce Bank from a single branch in suburban Philadelphia into a major player in the northeast. He sold Commerce to Toronto Dominion (TD) in 2008 for $8.5 billion, then targeted a market where the competition was far more worn and stodgy than in the U.S., and where not a single new "High Street" bank -- the Brits' expression for retail banks -- had won a license in 138 years.

In Britain, half-a-dozen hidebound players have controlled the market for decades, including two bailed out by the government, Lloyds (LYG) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). "The old models just don't work," says Hill. "They branches were run-down. They'd underinvested for years, and hadn't had any competitive pressure to improve or innovate." British banking, says Hill, is at an inflection point, and Metro is pointing the way.

So far, Metro Bank has established 12 branches in Greater London, and expects to open eight more by the end of this year. Hill says that the average U.S. branch does well to open 20 new accounts a month. Commerce waxed the competition by opening around 300. Metro's branches are adding 750 per month. The flagship opposite the Holborn tube station has garnered $200 million in deposits, four times the total at the average mature American branch, and is still growing rapidly. "We'd never seen growth that fast at any of our Commerce branches," marvels Hill. (SeeFortune's September 2010 profile, Vernon Hill is the best damn banker alive (Just ask him))

Why is Metro such a hit? For Hill, it's all about building a great retail brand that happens to be a bank -- Metro's slogan is "Love your bank at last," a reference to his obsession with super-fast, offbeat customer service. The Metro branches are spanking new, featuring giant, nostalgic murals depicting the neighborhood as it was a century ago, and Magic Money Machines that take your pence and spit out a receipt you take to the counter to exchange for pound notes. Dogs and cats are welcome, and restrooms available. Metro opens accounts and issues customers a debit and credit card, in just fifteen minutes.

Hill predicts that Metro will reach $900 million in deposits by year-end. But that's just the beginning. He's aiming to open 200 branches in Greater London, and capture 5% of the market, about the share Commerce held in metro New York in the mid-2000s. That would swell the current level of deposits by around 90 times, to an estimated $80 billion, double the size at Commerce when it sold to Toronto Dominion. And for Hill, the big money in banking is in accumulating low-cost deposits. Says Meredith Whitney, "Vernon's service-based model reinvented retail banking in America and is on the same path in Britain."

Hill's beloved Yorkshire terrier, Sir Duffield, or Duffy for short, plays a central role in Metro's marketing. "Duffy shows up at openings, but he didn't like the dog treats," says Hill, who confesses that Duffy dines on rack of lamb and smoked salmon. So Hill is handing out three samples of treats to his dog-loving customers, and asking them to vote on which one their pets like best. He'll offer the most popular treat at the branches. "The beauty of it is that the dogs are really voting," declares Hill.

Londoners are voting too, by heading for those big glass cubes decorated with the giant red M for a treat they never expected, the festive, fun side of banking.