 That report noted that checking account packages for people 50 years and older provided Westamerica with a deposit base which was "much more stable, less expensive, and thus a much more desirable source of funding" than the average individual account at other banks.Under Payne's leadership, Westamerica also strengthened its financial foundation.Although labeled as a "Rich Kid" in an October 4, 1991 article in The American Banker, the article's author Sam Zuckerman wrote that Payne had gained respect since becoming Chairman in late 1988 for tackling the problem of troubled loans to the construction industry.