Michael Zvalaren

Michael Zvalaren, Licensed Senior Client Relationship Representative with First Merchants Bank, is known to customers as the man to go to when they need help – whether that’s opening a new account, wrangling their finances, or solving a sticky problem.

“I’m here to help our customers,” he explained. “They come here for many different reasons asking for help. They may need help with trying to cancel a service or a bill, they’re at their wits end they don’t know what to do, they ask, ‘Can we help them?”

And Michael is always there to do just that. He joined First Merchants eight years ago, following a 30-year career in insurance and a cross-country move from New Jersey to Bourbon, Ind. He made the change, he said, because he knew he had a skill and a passion for customer service.

“I thought it would be a good fit, I thought it would be interesting,” he explained. “I’d be involved with customers every day, and seeing people face to face is something I enjoyed.”

That hunch was proven right, and Michael enjoys helping his customers.

“My goal is to treat customers the way I would want to be treated,” he explained. “I rarely find that, so I enjoy being able to provide that for someone else.”

In his time at the Bourbon branch, Michael has gone above and beyond for customers – from helping them with bills to much, much more. He’s even been known to give customers a lift home, such as a time a few years ago when a customer who was legally blind came into the bank.

“That customer arrived in a taxi to take out money, but we quickly realized someone was attempting to scam him,” Michael shared. “While we were talking him through things and helping him order new cards – because his current ones were compromised – and improve account security, the taxi left.”

Instead of the customer paying for a new taxi, Michael offered to drive him the few blocks from the branch to the customer’s home.

“It was my pleasure to help him out,” Michael said. “At that moment, he needed someone who was going to be a friend and help him.”

That adherence to the golden rule also stretches to Michael’s interactions with his coworkers. Michael says he always tries to lead by example, and to help his teammates when they need it.

“I think really my goal in life is to just try to help everyone,” he shared.

Michael is also heavily involved in the local Lion’s Club and was instrumental in the organization launching a new scholarship fund to help local students.

In his spare time, he works on gardening and landscaping his property and is knee-deep in current home renovation projects.

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The Teammates in Action series features First Merchants teammates who embody the spirit and impact of the company’s Vision: “to enhance the financial wellness of the diverse communities we serve.”