Customer service is often what makes or breaks a business. At Heartland Bank, customer service is a priority in every department, every day. Denise Marcum-Foulks is Heartland’s Senior Collection Specialist, and her daily goal is to help her clients in any way she can.
Denise shared, “I am responsible for the recovery of past due accounts, monitoring of bankruptcy filings, foreclosure actions and reducing the bank’s loss on non-performing assets. Collections is a part of me. I have been in the collection and foreclosure world for over 38 years. The best part of my job is helping a client save their home. Most clients are afraid to talk to a collection associate, but we want them to know they do not need to be. We are here to help. We can provide solutions, guidance, and sometimes we are there just to listen.”
At Heartland, Denise works in a very small department that has a very big impact. Managing overall delinquency percentages and recovery of non-performing assets are both part of her daily tasks, and she confidently tackles these with her expertise gained from so many years in the collections environment. One of her goals is to keep the overall delinquency rate at or below 0.40%.
According to Stuart Schloss, SVP, Director of Loan Syndication, “Denise is a highly valuable member of the collections team; she is our ‘go-to’ for complex commercial credit workouts and difficult client negotiations. She works closely and seamlessly with bank counsel and senior management to resolve the most difficult of troubled loans. Her attention to detail, dedication and willingness to accept new challenges models the way for the rest of the team. We truly could not do it without her!”
Obviously, her work ethic shines through, and she believes in the principles encouraged at the bank – quality and excellence. “Together, they mean that you strive to do your best work always and practice sound and fair banking principles. You believe in looking at the whole picture which gives you a better perspective on how to manage a situation. You are always considerate of co-workers and clients and do your best to give good council,” shared Denise.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and moving to Columbus when she was seven years old, Denise still calls Central Ohio home in Lancaster. With her husband, Jim, two sons, two grandsons and two granddaughters, her life definitely revolves around family. “During the summer, I swim every Wednesday with my dad, sister and brother. I also love to do puzzles, and I am currently working on a 2000-piece puzzle that is all different kinds of hard candies. I love to bake - not to cook, but to bake – and I love Harry Potter…too bad I’m a muggle girl,” said Denise.
With a career at Heartland, you will meet interesting, committed associates like Denise every day. Be sure to check out the career page for openings at Heartland that could change or enhance your career path for an out-of-this-world future!