About Brook

Why do so many industries have platforms for independent operators, but banking doesn't?

If you want to be an independent merchant, there is Shopify.

If you want to be an independent real estate agent, there is Compass.

If you want to be an independent hotel operator, there is VRBO.

If you want to be an independent writer, there is Substack.

Finally, in finance, if you want to be an independent wealth advisor, there is Schwab, Fidelity, LPL, etc.

The list of independence platforms goes on and on.

As a banker myself, I wondered what was keeping bankers tethered to banks. Why couldn't a banker go independent like a wealth advisor? Why couldn't bankers keep more of the value they create instead of subsidizing legacy bank overhead? Why couldn't bankers have complete control over their personal and professional lives? Why couldn't bankers own more equity in the businesses they build?

Those questions led to the creation of Brook. Not only does Brook enable bankers to launch their own branded, independent banking services companies, it gives commercial banking clients access to a network of bankers who focus on their industry, their geography, or who just want to have a relationship with their banker.

Along the way, bankers can earn up to 10x more income with a similar book of business at their current banks, while offering their clients a suite of banking tools that can outmatch any traditional bank's tools.

That is Brook.

We built Brook because we lived the frustration firsthand. After spending over 20 years in banking and finance, I knew the industry had the talent, the relationships, and the drive; it just lacked the infrastructure to support independence.

My name is Phil Shmerling, and I am the founder of Brook. Come join me as a pioneer in the New World of Independent Banking.