Emperor has no cloth! - Anonymous employee Silicon Valley Bank Employee Review

3.0
Dec 1, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

continued growth, great products, competent sales team, and always have opportunity to work on new things and solve challenges.

Cons

The compliance department is a joke, keeping hiring incompetent Chief Compliance Officers and all they do is to talking about change, buying time until themselves got fired. The newly appointment Chief Compliance Officer is the worst, if you ever wonder how Wells Fargo got into phony account opening scandal last year and shed management responsibility by firing floor level employees when things got exploded, well, he is the walking post of that rotten culture. it is well known by everyone at the Bank how he screwed up the BSA/AML division and openly talked about his ability of putting out "smoking mirrors" to upper management and examiners, now he is promoted to even run the compliance department. SVB is running a huge risk to become the 2016 Wells Fargo. It is about time to say emperor have no cloth and we can expect our compliance department will be populated from drones from Wells Fargo soon.

Explore other reviews about Silicon Valley Bank

5.0
Mar 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People are nice and it's a great culture company to work.

Cons

can not think of it

1.0
Mar 31, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pre-2023, excellent culture and team environment, strong compensation and bonuses, and generous budgets that supported employees well.

Cons

Since the 2023 bankruptcy, the company has struggled to regain its identity. There has been significant turnover in senior leadership, and much of the experienced management team has departed. This has led to inconsistent direction, frequent misalignment between leadership messaging and execution, and a noticeable decline in employee confidence. Compensation, bonuses, and career progression opportunities have become less competitive, and overall employee support has diminished. The organization now feels more like a rebranded extension of First Citizens rather than the distinct institution it once was. There is also an over-layering of management, with too many overlapping roles and unclear accountability, which slows decision-making and creates unnecessary complexity. Finally, the company has lost much of its competitive edge post-2023, with ongoing client attrition and reputational challenges that employees are left to address without clear strategic direction.

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