Jun. 23--Metropolitan Bank's office in Memphis looks unusual enough: No tellers, no velvet rope, no tellers' counter and local artwork instead of promotional posters.

But even more unusual is its branch bank, a Mini Cooper.

The 15-month-old bank licensed the car as a branch bank with the State of Tennessee.

That way the drivers -- branch managers? -- can accept deposits when they provide the boutique service of motoring to the businesses and homes of clients.

That kind of personalized accommodation must be working.

Metropolitan Bank recently celebrated its first anniversary with very positive numbers.

The Ridgeland, Miss.-based institution started doing business in March 2008 with $116 million in total assets and $71 million in total deposits.

By April 30 of this year, the bank had total assets of more than $300 million and $205 million in deposits.

Metropolitan operates five full-service banking offices in Tennessee and Mississippi, including a Memphis branch at 1161 Aaron Brenner Drive.

"Yes, banks can accept deposits that way," Cullen Earnest said of the Mini Cooper. Earnest is spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions.

"And, yes, the car does have to have what they call a 'mobile branch application.'

"That application is very similar to any branch application."

State and federal regulators would look for specific things in the applications, like security issues.

"Maybe if the car has a safe in it that's bolted down," Earnest said.

The bank-car receives only check deposits.

Several other banks in the state offer a similar, mobile banking service.

Upwardly mobile seems to be Metropolitan's path, especially in Memphis.

"When (then-executive managing director) Phillip May and his team opened the doors in Memphis, they had no loans and no deposits," said chief operating officer Rick Adams. "At the end of April, the Memphis office had more than $83 million in loans and over $100 million in deposits on the balance sheet."

The Memphis bank, which accounts for 53 percent of the entire bank's deposits, has done so well that May was named president of the Tennessee Division by Curt Gabardi, president and chief executive officer of Metropolitan BancGroup, the bank's parent.

Metropolitan leaves the high volume/low deposit retail banking to others. It focuses on building relationships with individual clients and businesses.

The Memphis bank, in East Memphis' Legacy Center, looks more like a corporate office.

The cushy space includes a few desks for "client services advisers" like John E. 'Trip' Hullender III.