It was a great place to work up until the past 2 years. - Anonymous employee Northern Trust Employee Review

1.0
Aug 24, 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good, stable private bank. Avoided most of the financial follies and shenanigans that have taken place over the past few years. Decent benefits package with lucrative vacation and sick time. People are nice to work with.

Cons

Management has failed miserably in moving the company forward. NT has been too stuck in their old ways and failed to be proactive with changes in order to stay competitive. Now they are forced to make drastic changes without much forethought. The new client service model is a mild disaster and the people running the show seem clueless. Qualified internal candidates are being passed over for promotion in favor of less qualified external candidates. Managers spend all day in meetings where it seems nothing is accomplished. I've seen meetings about meetings along with post-meeting meetings. Weak managers are never weeded out and ultimately promoted causing more distress for those working under them. And they wonder why quality employees are leaving...

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5.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work life balance and strong culture

Cons

Easier credits to underwrite at the beginning

2.0
Apr 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people and a good environment. Benefits are good and the work is interesting. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate NT as a 7. But, it’s typical big corporate crap that hands out 2% raises and minimum bonuses during a good year yet spends $360 million this past quarter buying their stock back.

Cons

Constant reminders to do more with less and cut costs and belt tightening while the execs line their pockets and you maybe get a 2% raise. I could see such actions if the firm was doing bad financially, but they aren’t. Record this and record that for many quarters now. And they walk around patting each other on the back like they all did such a great job when in reality, the markets are up so the value of the assets we manage are up. I’m wondering what sort of actions will happen when the market goes south for several quarters. Oh. And the constant state of surveillance here is BS. Tracking to make sure you are here 3 days a week. Keyboard / mouse / PC tracking systems receding your activity. It’s like a 21st century high tech sweatshop in some ways.

2
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