.jpg)
Processing
Those who've read this blog before may notice the headline slide has changed from SVB on Wine to Rob McMillan on Wine. I know I don't need to explain that change.
This is a horrible message for me to have to write. I was asked to stay silent the past few days by SVB but now that the die is cast, I thought I should sit down and share what I know.
To start with, my employer, formerly known as Silicon Valley Bank, no longer exists. I'm still processing the whole thing, as most people are who are associated with the bank.
On Friday morning, clients, employees, bank suppliers and shareholders all awoke to the same news: SVB has been taken over by the FDIC. For everyone involved, there is a range of emotions to process; fear, anxiety, anger, and so much more. I'm personally cycling through all of the same emotions.
In the space of 48 hours, SVB went from being a very viable banking organization with sound metrics by all regulatory measures to being out of business. Investors lost billions, clients had their deposit accounts frozen, and the FDIC halted all banking transactions to stop the panic-driven loss of cash.
How could that have happened? I never thought I'd see an old-fashioned run on the bank as portrayed in "It's a Wonderful Life," let alone find me in the middle of a collapse, but that's the reality. The situation didn't turn out like the movie.
The wine industry had nothing to do with this. This event was an unnecessary fear-based collapse that the Venture Capital industry participated in and is having second thoughts about. Six hundred thirty-six VCs are trying to make their voices heard on this disturbing collapse - albeit a little late.
This incident is going to go down in infamy with Continental Illinois. That was the last bank I recall that failed over a run on deposits. While the Washington Mutual failure is the largest ever bank failure, that bank collapsed over loan problems. That is the normal path to a bank failure, and you typically see the signs of it very early. Those problems didn't exist at SVB. The loan portfolio was performing well. Actually, as far as I could tell, the whole business was doing well. Today, in the blink of an eye, this is the second-largest bank failure in the history of the US. It's hard to fathom.
Clients
The Industry
Many have asked me about the reports that I write, particularly the State of the Industry, but also all the benchmarking data I've been able to provide for the past 20 years for free. I've received many calls and emails from people telling me how they depend on the information to feel informed and make decisions in their business. Numerous universities around the world use this information too, and some have asked me if that is going to continue.
The State of the Industry Report is of course up in the air as well. I don't traditionally start until October so there is a little more time there. Many people want to see that continue, but I'll have to see how things play out. While SVB has done these reports gratis, there is a significant cost to produce them, and logistics would have to be covered - analysis, writing, formatting, and design. A lot goes into the production of the report.
[Monday Update: The outpouring of support for the work we do on behalf of the wine industry has been pretty surprising to me; not so much that people appreciate what we do, but the literally hundreds of messages I've received on the topic.
There are any number of solutions starting to crystalize, from a consortium of the industry providing funding for this activity, starting a non-profit, and some stand-alone companies who want to take on this work under their brand. Nothing can be decided at this point until after we get through the FDIC sales process. But the outpouring of support for the effort is going to be helpful in discussions with an acquirer when we discuss continuing these efforts.]
The Employees
This bank collapse obviously impacted all the employees who, in most cases, were shareholders. Some had their life savings wiped out and now are dealing with a threat to their day-to-day living. But as we've each been processing our own grief, everyone in the Wine Division is functioning professionally and trying to take care of our clients. We don't have all of our tools available, and not having complete information is a huge frustration for everyone.
What comes next?
If we don't find a bank buyer in short order, each employee is going to have choices to make about what comes next. Should that happen, I can say with confidence that every employee in the Wine Division of the bank is remarkable and will be a great hire for any banking institution. Where will everyone land? Some will stay in the banking business and take on different roles or industries. Some will find spots in different wine banks that will no doubt be anxious to have SVB clients.
[Monday Update: We've been listening to parties interested in buying the full Wine Division. Thus far, there are 7 parties, three of which are banks who have reached out. We have no authority to act in these discussions, but we are listening, talking, and directing them to the FDIC.)
What am I going to do? I really don't know yet. I've been listening to people who are coming up with interesting options for the Division, and that's, for now, my focus. But I have to listen under the circumstances. I'm going to take a little time to see if I can make a decision that will benefit the industry and other of my colleagues first. If we end up being sold to a suboptimal buyer and something does pop up that benefits the industry, our employees, and our clients, that's where you'll find me next.
In the meantime, wish us all luck. Not knowing if the bank's URL will remain up, (@SVB.com) if anyone wants to DM me for anything, the way to always find me is on Linkedin.
