Property Management Firms

Most firms use several: an operating account that receives management fees and commissions, a payroll account for salaries and firm overhead, a reserve account for an operating buffer, and separate trust or escrow accounts that hold tenant security deposits, prepaid rent, and owner funds apart from the firm’s own money. Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. offers each of these, with the per-owner or per-property records property managers rely on.

Yes. Real estate asset and investment managers who oversee property portfolios use the same structure the Bank offers property managers: operating, payroll, and reserve accounts for the firm, separate trust and escrow accounts for tenant and owner funds, and treasury tools for collecting rent and disbursing owner distributions and vendor payments. Asset management, meaning portfolio strategy and ownership-level decisions, and day-to-day property management can sit with different teams. A relationship officer sets up accounts and records that fit how the firm is organized.

Yes. Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. opens trust and escrow accounts that hold tenant security deposits, prepaid rent, and owner funds apart from the firm’s operating money, with per-owner or per-property recordkeeping. The structure, control, and disbursement of those funds follow the firm’s management agreements and applicable state law. The Bank provides the account structure and records; the firm and its counsel determine how the funds are held and released.

Yes. A firm managing many properties can open multiple accounts or sub-accounts by owner or by property, kept separate with the records the firm needs for owner statements and reconciliation. A relationship officer sets up the structure that fits the firm’s portfolio and its management agreements.

Yes. Operating, payroll, reserve, and trust or escrow accounts opened as bank deposit accounts are deposits at Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. They are insured by the FDIC up to the limits set by law. For funds a firm holds for others, that coverage may pass through to each owner or tenant when the FDIC’s recordkeeping requirements are met. For balances above the standard FDIC limits, the Bank offers access to multi-million-dollar FDIC insurance through ICS, which places deposits across a network of FDIC-insured banks. Trust, fiduciary, investment, and custody accounts established through the Bank’s Trust & Wealth Department are not deposits, are not FDIC insured, and may lose value. A relationship officer can confirm which structure applies.

Through the Treasury Management platform, a firm collects rent by ACH and disburses owner draws and vendor payments by ACH or wire on the schedules it keeps across its properties. The platform supports remote deposit for checks, balance monitoring online and from the mobile app, and reporting that supports owner statements and reconciliation.

The Treasury Management platform includes Positive Pay for checks and ACH, with optional payee-name verification. It supports dual control, with up to four approval levels for wires and ACH and up to two for business bill pay. It also requires multi-factor authentication at login and when payments are initiated. The Bank recommends verifying new or changed payment instructions through an independent channel before funds are sent, which guards against business email compromise. See the Security Center for detail.

Yes. Treasury Management connects to QuickBooks^® and to property-management and accounting software, and exports reports that support a firm’s bookkeeping, owner statements, and reconciliation across many properties.

Yes. The Bank offers lines of credit that bridge timing gaps in fee and distribution cycles, financing for capital projects, facility improvements, and major equipment purchases, and owner-occupied commercial real estate for the firm’s own offices. Lending is subject to credit approval and is not a commitment to lend. See Commercial Loans.

Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. operates from a single office, its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, rather than a network of retail branches. Firms can meet with the Bank in person there. They can also work with it remotely through online banking and the Treasury Management platform, with a relationship officer they can reach directly. The Bank’s national charter lets it open accounts and set up treasury management for qualified property management firms anywhere in the United States.

To open accounts, a firm contacts the Bank’s Commercial Deposits team at (703) 748-3444, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Calls are answered live during business hours. A firm can also email commercialdeposits@chainbridgebank.com or use the Bank’s contact form. A relationship officer follows up to confirm the accounts the firm needs, including any trust or escrow accounts. The officer also confirms the documentation required: formation documents, management agreements as applicable, board or company authorization, and identification for authorized signers.