Bravery of a Branch Manager

  When people think about jobs that require the employees to be brave and work under risky conditions, Branch Manager doesn’t typically come to mind. However, a recent visitor proves that the job does come with some risks.

  Pahrump Valley High School’s Journalism class recently had a visit from Nevada State Bank Branch Manager, Mike Hines. Hines originally came to Pahrump to get away from the big city with his wife. It wasn’t until later on that the students learned that there was a much bigger reason.

  Hines has been a banking for 12 years and has been actively robbed once. He explained there is a difference between a burglary and robbery.

  “In a burglary,” says Hines, “the victim is not present.” However, in a robbery, the victim is present and oftentimes, nobody knows there is a robbery in progress until afterwards.

  This type of robbery is called a note-passing robbery, where the robber writes the desired amount on a note, typically with a threat, and passes it to the teller.

  “They always request really specific amounts,” says Hines. “They won’t ask for everything in the drawer. They’ll ask specifically for $10,300.”

  Though the comment was meant to be satirical, it is actually quite true.

  A takeover robbery is the type of robbery that one might see in movies. They do not occur in small town banks as often as they do in big city banks, and was actually the reason why Hines came to Pahrump.

  “You realize that no amount of money is worth your life,” says Hines.

  Aside from the robbery, Hines also told the students about what skills it takes to do a job like his. Hines did not attend college and he originally planned to be a bank teller.

  “I was really good with numbers,” he says. “I thought banking would be more numbers related, but it’s not.” The majority of Hines’ job is understanding psychology and learning to develop other people. “I find the gold in them, and then help them to find it.”

  Hines also gave the students insight on the “basic banking” knowledge including credit, interests, and loans.

  “Loans really have no expiration date. They will follow you for the rest of your life because collection companies are horrendous,” said Hines while Mr. Larssen, the Journalism teacher, nodded in agreement.

  Hines also does not just do his job for the money. He enjoys being a part of the community and volunteering. Hines works with both Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce.

“Showing that I truly genuinely care about the community shows that it is ultimately about the bigger picture. It is about being a part of the community and helping it grow,” says Hines.

  Although the students had a few more questions, time ran out and it was time for Mr. Hines to go. His visit was the last one of the school year, and it was definitely an interesting one.