When the leadership team at The Bank of Glen Burnie set out to reposition the institution for long-term growth, the team faced a challenge familiar to many community banks: how to compete for larger, relationship-driven deposits without sacrificing flexibility, customer service, or balance sheet discipline.

Leveraging their extensive prior experience using IntraFi® solutions at other institutions, President & CEO Mark Hanna and CFO Todd Capitani identified IntraFi’s ICS® service as a key tool to meeting that challenge.

Using ICS, the bank has begun to transition from a deposit base composed largely of individual consumers and rate-sensitive accounts to more stable commercial and municipal relationships. Importantly, ICS allows the Bank of Glen Burnie to compete more effectively with larger institutions while staying true to its community banking mission.

What is ICS? 
‍ICS enables depositors at network banks to access FDIC insurance in aggregate amounts that exceed $250,000, the standard FDIC limit, by placing funds at network banks.

The Challenge: From Retail to Relationship Banking

When Hanna and Capitani joined The Bank of Glen Burnie, they inherited an institution that was refining its growth strategy.

The Bank had been successfully growing deposits over the last several years and adding accounts. With the addition of IntraFi products there has been an increased opportunity to build lasting, relationship-driven value.

“Our goal is to move away from commoditized, thrift-based products and toward true community banking—where service, relationships, and long-term partnerships are what win and retain clients,” said Hanna.

At the same time as they were starting to evolve their business model, broader industry dynamics were making it harder for community banks to acquire deposits. Following several high-profile bank failures in 2023, depositors with balances exceeding FDIC insurance limits gravitated toward larger institutions—drawn by the perception that the government might intervene to protect them if needed, a safety net not assumed to extend to community banks. That perception gap was a real barrier for a community bank seeking to grow.

Why IntraFi: Flexibility, Trust, and Proven Results

When they joined The Bank of Glen Burnie, both executives brought experience transforming banks to reshape deposit franchises, lower cost of funds, and attract more commercial-oriented customers. Capitani and Hanna had used IntraFi services to catalyze change at multiple prior institutions. “When we brought IntraFi to Glen Burnie, it wasn’t a leap of faith,” said Hanna. “It was the familiarity of the services, the consistency over time, and knowing exactly how flexible it can be in real client relationships.”

That flexibility stood out as a critical differentiator. Unlike traditional deposit products, ICS can be tailored to each member bank’s needs—supporting interest-bearing or non-interest-bearing structures and integrating seamlessly with operating or sweep accounts. A key advantage of ICS is balance sheet flexibility—whether a bank needs reciprocal deposits for on-balance-sheet funding, wants to move funds off balance sheet, or is looking for options to purchase funds.  

“A lot of bankers don’t realize how adaptable the product is,” Hanna noted. “It doesn’t force a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Supporting a Strategic Shift to Commercial Relationships

For The Bank of Glen Burnie, IntraFi’s ICS service is enabling a strategic shift to deepen relationships with small- and mid-sized businesses, municipalities, nonprofits, and other organizations holding larger balances.

Funds placed in deposit accounts through ICS are proving less rate-sensitive than traditional CDs. And for commercial businesses that value operational flexibility and liquidity as well as access to FDIC insurance, ICS is a compelling alternative. With ICS, the bank can confidently keep its customer relationships in-house even during seasonal or cyclical changes.

One example involved a long-standing, seasonal commercial relationship that historically moved most of its deposits out of the bank during certain periods. By proactively introducing ICS, with its benefits of competitive pricing and daily liquidity,  the bank was able to retain significantly larger balances year round, growing from typical balances of a few hundred thousand to a steady balance of $1 million year round with seasonal peaks over $10 million.

“We were able to use ICS to make an appealing bid for their overall deposit relationship with the flexibility to price those deposits at a place that made sense for the bank—but was also very competitive for the client. It’s been a great, great product for that,” said Hanna.

Leveling the Playing Field Against Larger Institutions

In an environment where depositors increasingly associate size with safety, IntraFi is helping The Bank of Glen Burnie neutralize a major competitive objection—without abandoning the personalized service that defines community banking.

“The perception is often that only the largest banks are safe for large balances,” Hanna explained. “ICS allows community banks like ours to offer essentially the same value proposition.”

This capability has positioned The Bank of Glen Burnie to compete more effectively for larger municipal, nonprofit, and commercial relationships. As Capitani put it, “IntraFi evens the playing field. It allows us to get to the plate and take swings that would otherwise be much harder.”

Partnership Beyond the Product

That competitive edge doesn’t come from the product alone. Both leaders emphasized the importance of IntraFi’s partnership approach.

From onboarding to sales training, IntraFi’s team works closely with The Bank of Glen Burnie to ensure frontline bankers understand how to position and deploy the solution with clients.

“This isn’t something you get and leave in the garage,” said Capitani. “We want to take it out and use it. The support and engagement from the IntraFi team have been instrumental in helping us do that.”

Looking Ahead

As The Bank of Glen Burnie continues to execute on its growth strategy, expanding its geographic footprint and deepening its focus on local businesses, IntraFi has become foundational to its success. “I’m just very bullish on the opportunity our partnership with IntraFi presents,” said Capitani.

By offering services that support sustainable, relationship-driven growth, IntraFi’s services help the bank do what it does best: serve its community while competing effectively in an increasingly concentrated marketplace.

“It puts us in a position to grow the right way,” said Hanna. “And that’s exactly what we’re focused on.”