Pros
Benefits are pretty darn good! Besides your typical health insurance, 401(k), etc., the company offers the following: 40 hours of paid time off to volunteer, Trimet pass reimbursements, and professional dress advances, to name a few. The company also has a lot of good associates that bring a lot of great experience with bigger and more mature companies to the table. Many of the associates are very passionate about working for the bank and want to go above and beyond every day and work together to help each other out to get the job done. Growth potential within the company is also excellent. Although there is no formal mentorship programs in place, there are many good managers who ensure that they find out what their associates' short and long term goals are and they help them get there, even if it means moving outside their current department eventually.
Cons
The bank is big on culture, but with the acquisition of Sterling, the culture is struggling a little bit. Everyone is working hard (on both sides) to combine teams, take on new processes, and yet still get the job done and it is weighing on everyone. There is a lot of extra work being done and sometimes it is daunting. Also, the bank still struggles with some old-school mentalities. For instance, although work from home opportunities are offered in certain instances, it is not consistent and probably isn't nearly enough to remain competitive with other companies that offer the benefit. A lot of times it is up to individual managers to determine if they offer work from home. Therefore, some have no problem with it and some you have to nearly beg to work from home for a day. Also, despite the integration activities going on, there is a lot of overwork anyways and a lot of people do not feel they are paid fairly for the amount of hours that they put in.