People are people.  Some are great at what they do, some are mediocre, some aren’t so great.  Just like the bank rates me as a borrower, I have a little mental map of how I perceive lenders not only in inherent aptitude and attitude, but also in what services (rates, terms, etc) they offer.  

Personally, I don’t run after the brightest shiniest new offerings, but I also don’t wait around for a too-conservative lender to respond to market realities.  Credit has been a commodity for at least a couple decades in ag because times have been good, but that could change in a lengthy down cycle that stresses borrowers, so I am going to maintain relationships with multiple lenders to the extent possible.  It’s not personal, it’s business.

I appreciate when I feel a loan officer has a pulse on the ag economy.  Not just what the price is today, but the past and forward-looking profitability, the underlying economic conditions, the risk factors, and how the bank and the examiners and the Fed feel about ag debt, etc. Trust is key in such a relationship, and sharing of information (never another individual’s information, but general information) is part of building up that trust.  I realize the lender’s interests and the bank’s interests may not coincide, but I want to understand the playing field as much as possible.

I appreciate it when a loan officer is as candid as he or she is able to be about where I rank on the ratios used to judge my business creditworthiness, and how that compares to the examiner standards and broad general field of borrowers.

Realistic stress test scenarios should be discussed, IMHO.  Not beat to death, but at least touched upon.

I don’t need help deciding what business decisions to make, but I do appreciate the occasional bit of informed commentary.  

Last, you will have to learn to deal in the harsh world of facts.  Some folks don’t want them because they are bad, but they are still reality. Extend and pretend looks great until the equity runs out.

I’m sorry you ended up with a hard row to hoe right out of the gate back on the farm.  I imagine you will do well in your current career and who knows what might happen 5 or 10 years down the road. 

Good luck.  You can go for a long time giving people what they want, but sometimes you have to give people what they need, even if it’s bad news.