Member Spotlight What is the history of Community Advantage®?

Community Advantage was started more than eleven years ago as a niche division of Barrington Bank & Trust Company. We realized there was a need for banking solutions geared towards community associations that other banks weren’t filling. Our specific scope was to cater to the needs of these associations, their Boards and the management companies that serve them.

What services do you offer community associations?

Community Advantage® is one of the Midwest’s leading provider of financial services to condominium, townhouse and homeowner associations. Everything a community association or property management company needs to manage their finances is our specialty.

We offer a complete suite of financial solutions and services to assist associations in managing their cash and operations, such as assessment collections, a variety of lending options, reserve investments, disbursement services and account management services. If your members would rather pay assessments online, we can facilitate that. If you’d rather take out a loan for a new roof instead of depleting your reserve funds or issuing a special assessment, we can tailor a lending solution for your situation.

Community Advantage sets the standard for service within the industry. Back row (from left to right): Frank Coleman, Nancy Taub, Angela Johnson, George Toubekis, Alejandra Diaz, Anthony Dister, Peter Santangelo and Pamela Mullen. Front row: Stacey Adams, Fifi Farag and Mary Teile.

With our level of knowledge and niche focus, we’re able to offer the customer service that you’d expect from a community bank – setting the standard for service within the industry. Our community bank- based service is paired with the backing of our parent company, Wintrust Financial. Wintrust is a well capitalized, multi-billion dollar financial services company, giving us the strength and stability that are so sought after in today’s economy.

Community Advantage® is one of the Midwest’s leading provider of financial services to

To meet the more sophisticated financial needs of our clients, we also offer i-BusinessBanking, an integrated, web-based treasury management application. i-BusinessBanking provides 24-hour access to an extensive array of account information. Many of the services mentioned above are also initiated through this online banking system – giving the management companies and associations more time to focus on other matters.

How does your bank differ from other banks?

Te senior management team has over 100 years of combined expertise in banking. Community Advantage only services the community association and property management industry. Our solutions are built specifically for this industry and tailored to each association.

24 | COMMON INTEREST®

condominium, townhouse and homeowner associations. Everything a community

association or property management company needs to manage their finances is our specialty.

What has your involvement been with the Illinois Chapter of CAI?

Community Advantage fully realizes the benefits of CAI and what it does for the associations and management companies in Illinois. We participate in many chapter and educational events throughout the year, including the annual conference and exposition. Many of our

staff members are also active in various committees with the chapter, providing their expertise where they can.

Personally, I’ve been involved with the Illinois Chapter of CAI for over twelve years. I’m currently serving as Treasurer of the Illinois Legislative Action Committee, and I’m an active member of the Finance Committee. I also hold the honor of being a past Chapter President. We hope to continue being active in the chapter for many

years to come. – Peter J. Santangelo, President A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter