As a certified public accountant (CPA), you know how valuable relationships are to your business, and the businesses that form your client base. A high level of trust, effective and sincere communications, a timely attention to detail and a passion for success are more than likely key components of the client relationships you have today.

So why shouldn’t your financial service provider offer you the same experience? And more importantly, what can you gain from relationship banking?

What is relationship banking? Imagine:

• What if there was someone at the bank who had the time to know your business and help you achieve your goals?

• What if that person could tap teams of experts with specific solutions that could be customized to your needs?

• And what if that person could deliver those solutions for you wherever you are, whenever you need them?

That’s relationship banking. The benefit for you is less time spent dealing with the nuts and bolts of your financial situation and more time focused on growing your business and those of your clients.

Relationship banking works by establishing a single point of contact at the bank for you and your business. That point person is responsible for overseeing all of your dealings with the bank, ensuring that your business has access to the broad scope of resources that it offers. That shouldn’t mean pushing products and services that you don’t want or need. A relationship banker’s job is to leverage the expertise within the bank that is appropriate to proactively address your specific needs — sometimes before you might even be aware of those needs.

Think of the relationship banker as the financial quarterback who manages a squad of seasoned professionals, all of whom play for your side. The result: The bank’s long list of products and services are customized for you, whether you’re looking to expand into multiple locations, acquire the building you’ve been leasing or leverage technology to more efficiently manage your cash position.

One area of particular interest for CPAs and their clients is cash management, a critical discipline for any business. Being a trusted financial advisor for your clients is time-consuming enough without making multiple trips to the bank each week just to deposit paper checks. A relationship banker can help your business navigate the transition from paper transactions to electronic ones, which can eliminate all of those trips. A relationship banker can also help you get a handle on your short-term working capital so that you’re maximizing your return through vehicles such as overnight investments. And with sophisticated tools such as Positive Pay, a relationship banker can make sure your business is deploying the latest in fraud protection measures no matter how you’re processing your payables.

As a business owner, you know the value of relationships. In the current business environment, with all of its uncertainty, pressure and competition, now more than ever, it pays to have trusted advisers. Your clients invest in you as their accountant and you pay them back with peace of mind that their needs are being addressed. You should enjoy the same benefit from your banking relationship.

Visit www.bankofamerica.com/cpa to learn more about relationship banking.