Banker helps businesses manage cash and check deposits safely, more efficiently

Treasury management and payments consultant Maryam Ebadi works closely with business owners to understand their needs and offer solutions

Maryam Ebadi recently helped a business that had good revenue but was taking 45 to 60 days to receive and process incoming payments.

“We talked through their processes and realized they were collecting a large volume of paper checks through the mail and getting those delivered to the bank and deposited was slowing down their cash flow,” said Ebadi, a treasury management and payments consultant based in Irvine, California.

Ebadi proposed that the client start using a lockbox solution in which the client’s customers would mail checks to a location where U.S. Bank employees would scan and deposit the checks much more quickly.

“We use an electronic scanner that can deposit 100 checks in 10 seconds and the client can access the funds the same day or next day,” Ebadi said. “That really helped them speed up their cash flow and made a huge difference in how they manage their working capital, better positioning them for expansion plans later in the year.”

Working with clients to identify issues and propose solutions is something Ebadi specializes in.

“I’m kind of like the strategic right hand when it comes to helping businesses manage and move their money more efficiently,” she said. “I go through portfolios for all of our client relationships and proactively find needs or gaps.”

Ebadi will look at everything related to money movement – how money is coming in and going out, payables and receivables.

“We will survey new clients to understand their cash flow and present recommendations on ways we can help them do business more efficiently.”

Ebadi works with clients across a range of industries. Another client she helped recently is a gas station owner.

“They take in a lot of cash and were worried about safety when taking it to a branch to deposit it,” she said.

Following Ebadi’s recommendation, the gas station got a vault that will safely hold cash deposits until they are picked up by a courier service to deposit at a U.S. Bank location.

“It saves them time in traveling to a branch and also provides them greater safety,” she said.

“I’m always thinking about how we can make it easier for clients to manage their cash flow so they can focus more on growing their business,” Ebadi said. “That’s what I love about my job."

Learn more about the variety of roles within the Business Banking team at the bank's career page.