But as consolidation and deregulation changed the banking industry, Banc One began to struggle.
Many of its best customers were being stolen by aggressive new competitors like Fidelity Investments, and the high cost of its decentralized, locally focused operations put it at a disadvantage to more efficient rivals like First Union and NationsBank.
Banc One was slow to standardize its products and centralize its back-office operations because it knew that such moves would curb the autonomy of the local bank managers.
It regained its upward momentum only after its CEO, John B. McCoy, decided to abandon the cherished uncommon partnerships altogether.
These “uncommon partnerships,” as Banc one dubbed the relationships, motivated the managers to act as entrepreneurs and respond to local market conditions.