Ep.#127: MidSouth Bank

We sit down with Crystal Russell from MidSouth Bank to talk about what real community banking looks like in Auburn and Opelika and why relationships still matter. We also dig into practical tools that make business banking simpler, safer, and more flexible while Crystal shares the career choices that brought her into banking. 

• MidSouth Bank’s community banking approach and local presence in Auburn with a new Opelika location 
• What a deposit relationship officer does for business and consumer clients 
• Treasury management tools that reduce friction: ACH origination, payroll support, remote deposit capture, online banking 
• Positive Pay and fraud prevention for small businesses 
• Misconceptions about bankers and why transparency matters 
• A weekend phone-call story that shows the value of a personal banker 
• Career pivots, self-reflection, and finding work that fits your strengths 

MidSouth Bank
519 E. Glenn Ave. Auburn 

500 2nd Ave. Opelika

334-300-9080

334-887-6440

Transcript

Welcome To The Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Suzanne Hodges.

Meet MidSouth Bank And Crystal

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome, and with me is Crystal Russell with MidSouth Bank. Welcome, Crystal. Thank you for having me. Tell me a little bit about what you do there at MidSouth Bank.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Well, um, and I'll tell you a little bit about Mid-South and my role. Um, so since 1912, uh MidSouth Bank, we've been committed to independent community banking, um building lasting relationships through exceptional personalized service. Uh we have our locations in Auburn and a new one soon to open in Opelica. Um and uh my role is to bring in basically my title is uh deposit relationship officer. So um in that role, it's to bring in new business and consumer accounts uh as well as partnering with our our current uh clients. Um of the most important aspects

Making Business Banking Easier

SPEAKER_01 1:11

of my role is to make banking easier for our partners, um, whether it comes to ACH origination, payroll process, remote deposit capture, positive pay, which is something that combine uh combats fraud. Um and then, you know, I I also offer several other treasury type products.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Okay. Now you've been you've been at Mid South Bank for several years now, right? I have been there. Um we're coming up close to two years. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Um sorry, go ahead. Oh no, I was gonna say I have about 10 years total um in banking.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

I see. Okay. I we we run across each other a lot at Chamber of Events and um enjoy seeing you at those places. So you were saying you you help bring new business to the bank, and uh so you get to, you know, talk to a lot of business owners in Auburn and Opalica.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

I do. I um love the Auburn Chamber, Opalica Chamber, those connections, seeing you, um, and just you know, you know, meeting all of the the new businesses and celebrating what they do. Um just love to be that offer that service to to help them with their business and and grow, you know, watch them grow and flourish in our community.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Absolutely. And and uh, you know, Auburn Opalica area is such a great place to be in business and to start a new business. And uh so I uh that's the exciting part to me is is you get to learn about the people who live here and what they do here. So you've been in baking for about 10 years.

How Crystal Found Community Banking

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Tell me about your journey into banking. What brought you to this career?

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Well, um, prior to banking, I actually worked um at the local one of the local newspapers here. Um, and I was a recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked if I would, you know, have a conversation with them um about banking. And, you know, I knew, you know, kind of thought it might be a good time for a career change, try something a little bit new. Um and I think what really attracted me to the banking industry was the um community aspect and how with a community bank the focus and you know being allowed to get out there and do what I'm passionate about. Um I I always have just that's I love to serve the community and this was like the perfect role. Right. Mid-South, Mid-South was definitely a no-brainer for me because they're very, very big um on community service or community. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

So what are, you know, you've been you've been doing this for a while.

Misconceptions And The Weekend Phone Call

SPEAKER_02 3:58

What are some of the misconceptions that people have about banking, either personal or on the business side?

SPEAKER_01 4:05

I would say I guess um as it relates to Mid-South, um, a lot of people say bankers are, you know, kind of out there just making bucks, making the sales. Um Mid-South, and and even in my interview, um they discussed how they really um believe in hiring true community bankers that wants what's best for customers. Uh we're very transparent. Um, if something's not a good fit for them, you know, we're gonna definitely, you know, give them other options or you know, be able to try to match a rate, meet a rate. Um and another great thing is if you call Mid-South, you're not gonna get a call center. You're gonna get me, you're gonna get Clay, you're gonna, you know, you're gonna get one of the employees in the branch. You'll never get a call center. Um, and I love that about MidSouth. Um, a little funny story. We were talking about um there was a weekend where a couple of uh guys were hanging out and they were talking about banks and you know how they love Mid South. One of one of the gentlemen, and he said, Well, I bet he said, I bet you can't pick up the phone and call your banker and answer. And again, it was on the weekend. Uh-huh. They had a little bet going, and he picked up the phone and made a phone call to to Mid South, his banker. And sure enough, he answered the phone and he was like, See, I told you.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Amazing, that is awesome. On the weekend, you can't be on the weekend. You're not, you can get us. You're gonna get us. Well, let's talk about you for a little bit

Travel, Career Lessons, And Growth

SPEAKER_02 5:50

here. What do you like to do for fun with your not helping people with their uh banking?

SPEAKER_01 5:56

So I love to travel. Um, that probably comes from I I was an army brat, so I went where dad, wherever dad had to go, I went. So um I really enjoy traveling. Um, going to Alaska at the end of the month. So um I lived there before I right? Yes, yes, and I lived there before I moved here um in '93. Okay. So I'm gonna go back and spend a week and enjoy it as an adult versus as a teenager.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Very good. Uh Alaska would be fun during this time of year. It gets so hot here in in July. Well, tell me a little bit about uh your journey into your career. Part of the reason I do this uh podcast is encourage people in their, you know, when they're trying to figure out what they want to spend their time in for a career in careers. Um, and sometimes it's a hardship involved in that, especially if you're going into business for yourself. Uh, there's some obstacles you have to overcome, right? Whenever you're trying to get to what you want to do. So, what are some of the things that you overcome in your career that made you as a person stronger or you know, your career stronger?

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Well, I mean, I have to say, as I get older in the these 49 years I've been around um in each job, career, role, um I've learned, you know, life kind of presents hardships and those kind of challenges, sometimes daily. Yeah. Um, and I've been in some roles that, you know, helped me realize this is what I love, this is what I don't love. And, you know, in time I've kind of been able to build and understand where I do best and where I'm gonna best help a company or bank wherever I'm at. And that from those challenges, I I really kind of overcoming them and learning, self-reflecting, right? Um, asking myself, what can I do differently? What and and I and I found that this type of role being out in the community at the chambers, um, connecting with people, not behind a desk. Like I will I I do my best and really flourish out, you know, meeting people and and really helping them better, you know, position themselves in whatever that looks like.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Okay.

Personal Touch Plus Modern Tools

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Well, tell me, what's one thing you wish people knew about Mid South Bank that they may not realize?

SPEAKER_01 8:41

I think that that the personal, um, you know, back in the day there was you you had your banker. Um that's that's not a lost art with Mid South. Um we know our customers and we have a vested interest in them. We know each one of them like very well. Um, I go out and I will check on them. You know, I'll I'll stop at a business that's one of my deposit customers and and say, hey, how's how's your payroll going? Did you did it run smoothly this week? You know, that personal touch is still there with MidSelf.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

That's good. That is something that's definitely uh missing. I think as a general rule in in business, even you know, as we're getting closer to using more and more technology, that personal touch is is beginning to be something that I think we all need to really get better at developing. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yes. And I will say that Mid-South is, you know, not only have we not lost that personal touch, but we've also stayed competitive on that side of things for the people that, you know, maybe they don't have time to have somebody stop to talk to them. We have the technology to do the remote deposit capture, the online banking, all of the tools. You know, it's kind of the best of both worlds.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

That's good.

How To Reach MidSouth Bank

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Well, how can people learn more about uh Midsouth Bank and uh get in touch?

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Well, they can learn. Uh, we our website is www.bankmidsouth.com. Uh we have a location at 519 East Glenn Avenue in Auburn. And then our new location um in Opalica is at 500 2nd Avenue. So next door behind uh Bubba's Medicine Shop. Oh yeah. Everybody's familiar with that area. Yeah. Um, or you know, they can call me at 334-300-9080. All right. And then the local branch number is 334-887-6440. All right.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Well, I have so enjoyed talking to you today. Thank you so much for telling us uh more about Mid South Bank and more about you. Thank you for having me. I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburn.com. That's gnpauburn.com. Or call 334 429 740.