By Lesroy W. Williams Observer Reporter
lesroywilliams@thestkittsnevisobserver.com (Basseterre, St. Kitts) ” The banking business in Basseterre has gotten a little more competitive. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 11 at 7:45a.m., presided over by Mr. Trevor Braithwaithe, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis (who cut the ribbon), Mrs. Corliss Charles-Sutton, Country Manager of RBTT Bank Caribbean Ltd and Robert De Silva, Regional Director of RBTT Bank, RBTT Bank Caribbean Ltd opened their doors to the general public for banking business at 8 a.m. The bank is located at the Corner of Fort and Central Streets. RBTT Bank Caribbean Ltd has been doing business in Nevis since 1997. Wednesday Online Code for Issue # 720 is RA1 Mrs. Corliss Charles-Sutton is the Country Manager for RBTT Caribbean Limited in St. Kitts and Nevis. She is Kittitian by birth and has 16 years in the field of banking with 10 years at RBTT Bank.” She spent a number of years working with RBTT Bank in St. Lucia and Trinidad. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees and a Master’s degree in Finance.” RBTT Bank started in Trinidad and Tobago and initially was known as the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. The bank has since expanded and has become more of a regional entity having branches in several Caribbean countries including St. Maarten, Cura”ao, Jamaica, and St. Lucia. “I am extremely proud to become the first country manager for a commercial bank in St. Kitts. A lot of this stems from parenting and the discipline instilled in me over the years. I really want to thank my parents, Hezekiah and Vivian Charles,” Mrs. Charles-Sutton said. “We are here to become more accessible. We are known for easy hassle-free loans,” she said. “We would like the general public to know that RBTT is finally here. We are here to serve. We are here to provide a different customer-service experience, making it easy to do business. I”m inviting you to support us.” Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and the RBTT Financial Group on October 2, 2007 jointly announced an agreement to combine RBC’s Caribbean retail banking operations with RBTT’s through the acquisition of RBTT for a total purchase price of TT$13.8 billion (approximately US $2.2 billion). The transaction will create one of the most extensive banking networks in the Caribbean, with a presence in 18 countries and territories across the region. With more than US$13.7 billion in assets, the combined operations will have 130 branches across the Caribbean, with more than 6900 employees serving more than 1.6 million clients. RBC’s expanded Caribbean retail banking operations will ultimately be headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Charles-Sutton said that the full amalgamation of RBTT and RBC will take about 18-24 months to adopt the same systems.
