Wichita native banks on principles taught by his father

While growing up in Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood, Mark Funke didn’t think about going into banking until his college years at Kansas State University.

Funke, now CEO of Oklahoma-based Bank SNB, initially aspired to build on his swimming exploits at East High School and become a teacher and coach. But he decided instead to go into the financial industry after a push by his banker cousin.

After nearly three decades with Bank of Oklahoma, Funke, 59, accepted the top position at Bank SNB in late 2012, which operates branches in Wichita and Hutchinson.

Funke, who lives with his wife of nearly 40 years, Beverly, in the Oklahoma City area, is in charge of a bank with $2.3 billion in assets.

Business reporter Bryan Horwath spoke with Funke recently to learn about his career, his thoughts on Wichita and the future of the banking industry.

Q: As a native Wichitan, what goes through your mind when you think about your hometown — both growing up and what the city has become today?

A: I thought it was a great community to grow up in, and I still have that view. It’s your typical Midwestern hometown place where everybody would like to be from. When I was young, you had companies like Boeing and Coleman that were the big employers, though that has obviously changed over time.

I think Wichita today is certainly a regional health care hub, serving western and central Kansas. Ours is a strong health care bank, and we certainly view Wichita as a hub. It’s a perfect market for our bank — it’s not high-growth like a Dallas, but it’s a stable, strong market. I compare Wichita to Oklahoma City because it’s a city that was built by entrepreneurs, such as the Pizza Hut guys and others.

Q: You actually grew up a few doors down from the Carney family, which started the Pizza Hut franchise, in College Hill. Your father, Ted Funke, was also a longtime dentist in Wichita. What do you remember from those days?

A: The Carney family, they were right across the street from us. Dan and Frank Carney were older than me, but they were similar in age with my oldest sister, so I certainly knew that family. They are a big part of the rich entrepreneurship history that Wichita has.

As far as my dad, he was a dentist for more than 50 years and had an office at Hillside and Lincoln. My father was the most honest and ethical man I’ve ever been around. He set a great example, and I’ve tried to emulate his characteristics in my business. Both my parents have since passed away, but I have two sisters who still live in Wichita.

Q: From your first days in the banking industry as a part-time teller in Manhattan while you were in college to today, what has changed in banking and what does the future hold for the industry?

A: Technology has changed the banking business and made it a very different business. Millennials don’t go to the bank — they want to do all their banking from their iPhone or computer. For the most part now, what you get from one bank to the next is very similar. In today’s environment, you have to find things that set you apart.

The regulatory environment has also changed the business a great deal. The overturning of the Glass-Steagall Act, which occurred in the 1990s, changed the industry dramatically because it allowed banks to have holding companies and multiple types of companies under those holding companies. That allowed investment banking to become part of the banks. To some degree, that probably helped lead to the financial crisis we saw in 2008.

I still, every day, find companies and business owners that want a banker they can talk to, though. To a large degree, this is still a personal business.

Q: Along those lines, as more people utilize online and mobile banking services, will we still have bank branches two or three decades into the future?

A: It wasn’t until my son bought a house that he was really interested in talking with a banker about that process. Young people today see banking as an errand and don’t view it as being something personal. If you’re 30 and under, banking is something you want to do very conveniently, and you want to be able to do it at home in your pajamas.

Many people say that branches are dead. They probably will continue to be on that path — there has been a huge reduction in bank branches over the course of the past several years — but, if you look at the surveys, many people still want access to a branch. I think there will continue to be a need, but I recognize that the business is changing to an electronic form. We have to adapt to that.

Q: Bank SNB recently entered the Colorado market with the acquisition of First Commercial Bank, meaning it now has operations in four states. What’s next for Bank SNB?

A: The objective of our company is to continue to grow. The bank is in a good financial position, and we’re very interested in growth opportunities in the Wichita market. Pat Gearhart oversees our bank in that market, and he’s a great leader. I would expect that we’ll have our eye out for any opportunities to grow in that area.

We’re going to continue to grow in our footprint from San Antonio up through Denver. I believe we can be the best financial institution in this region.

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Wichita native banks on principles taught by his father."