Regional footprint Leverage Lake Forest Bank & Trust’s presence in Chicagoland and surrounding regions to cross-sell community banking, commercial services, and wealth management products across similar markets and through Wintrust network relationships.

SMB banking focus Target small to mid-sized businesses given the bank’s profile and employee size; opportunities exist in commercial banking, lending, and treasury management services aligned with local businesses expanding within Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Growth potential Explore partnerships or white-label solutions with the broader Wintrust ecosystem to scale services like mortgage origination, premium financing, and insurance products, capitalizing on the bank’s multi-division capabilities.

Digital engagement Identify needs for modern digital marketing analytics, customer data integration, and ad tech enhancements based on current tech stack to improve lead generation and attribution for new client acquisition.

Competitive positioning Position as a community-focused, regional bank with scale via Wintrust to compete against larger mid-market banks; emphasize local decision-making, relationship-driven banking, and a broad product suite to win in targeted markets.