What is ETS?
Culture without shock
Annette Brown and
Maria Jose Arza
Starting in 1998, Rabobank in North
America looked at how it could improve
loan processing efficiency. The document
that had previously been used was free-
form, and used differently by each office.
There was no Standard form that the
Back-Office could easily read and
interpret. The solution seemed obvious:
create a Standard, electronic form that
could be accessed and used by everyone.
The Electronic Term Sheet (ETS) is a web-
based management and electronic
workflow tooi that securely
communicates, from Front- to Back
Office, the essential information required
to create, approve, and manage
customer information, credit facilities,
deal tickets and more. It has surprised
many within Rabobank by revolutionising
processes in the Americas. Annette
Brown, Assistant Vice-President Project
Manager in the New Jersey office,
explains, The basic form is standardised,
but includes built-in flexibility for
individual offices. And, since ETS is
electronic, all the information is available
online, reducing faxes and telephone
calls, eliminating test keys, improving
security, streamlining approvals, creating
a clear audit trail, building an archive
library and allowing the development of
cases.' The ETS is developed and
maintained in-house, giving the ETS
User Group Committee a voice in
continuing adaptations, further
additions, and new functionality.
The New York ETS was created for North
America. It worked well and, in 2002, the
South American offices and Curacao
created the Regional ETS. In October
2005, a single ETS was launched to serve
all the Americas.
The region's different cultures initially
made implementation a challenge, and
some offices had never cooperated with
other offices on such a big project. To