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ABA Honors Six Banks with Community Commitment Award(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 -- The American Bankers Association issued the following news release: The American Bankers Association has recognized six banks for their noteworthy corporate social responsibility with the 2014 ABA Community Commitment Award. The awards were presented in categories ranging from affordable housing to community and economic development. Winners were announced today at ABA's Annual Convention in Dallas. The ABA selection committee chose six banks from a record-high field of more than 170 entries based on the creativity and replicability of programs -- traditional or innovative in nature and structure -- that embody the ideals of corporate social responsibility and demonstrate success in measurable terms. "This year's recipients have performed meaningful work and inspired others in the process," said Frank Keating, ABA president and CEO. "Their extraordinary effort has improved their local communities, and our industry." The 2014 award winners are: Affordable Housing - Bank of McKenney, McKenney, Va. for its rehabilitation grant program designed to serve homeowners whose family incomes fall below 80 percent of HUD median levels. The program --with support from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and distributed to rural, often older customers -- offers up to $15,000 to assist the homeowner with energy efficiency and weatherization or accessibility improvements like roofs, insulation and ramps. Community and Economic Development - Bank of Hawaii, Honolulu for its participation in the Hawaii Youth Opportunities Initiative, which focuses on improving the well-being of youth transitioning from foster care. Bank of Hawaii offers Individual Development Accounts (IDA), or matched savings accounts, to help participants learn financial management, obtain experience with the mainstream banking system, and save money. Bank of Hawaii has opened over 800 savings accounts for HYOI participants. Financial Education - Banco Popular, San Juan, P.R. for Finanzas en tus Manos (Finances in Your Hands), a financial education initiative that has reached more than 90,000 people since 2010. As a part of the program, Banco Popular developed alternative advertising, a traveling workshop, educational videos for the branch's television network, informational broadcast segments, social media posts and designated spokespeople to help educate its community on the importance of healthy financial practices. Nontraditional Borrower and Underbanked - Golden Pacific Bank, Sacramento, Calif. for SmartBiz, the nation's first online and automated Small Business Administration loan application process. While the standard SBA loan process can take up to 90 days to complete, SmartBiz enables businesses to pre-qualify and get approved on the same day they apply. Funds can be available after one business week. SmartBiz has been available on a limited basis since late 2013 and has already received over $25 million in applications. Protecting Older Americans - Bank of American Fork, American Fork, Utah for AccountSmart Tools for Seniors, a program designed to protect older customers from fraud with senior-friendly features, such as "view-only access" that allows a helper to watch for fraud without obtaining full account control. The program also offers internal and community education on elder financial abuse. Volunteerism - Pacific Continental Bank, Eugene, Ore. for its Giving Heart program, which matches employee donations and provides up to 40 hours a year of paid time off to volunteer. The program supports areas including family and health, youth services, education, community arts, economic development, animal welfare and sustainability. New to the Community Commitment Awards this year is the George Bailey Distinguished Service Award, which is given to a non-CEO bank employee who demonstrates outstanding initiative, performs impactful work and inspires others. This year's recipient was Kurt A. Schindler, Ph.D., director of financial education for Banco Popular. Schindler was recognized for coordinating more than 160 Get Smart About Credit workshops in a single day in 2013 and more than 800 throughout his career. To read more about this year's winner, click here. http://www.aba.com/Press/Pages/102114GeorgeBaileyDistinguishedService.aspx [Category: Banking] TNS 18EstebanLiz-141022-30FurigayJane-4907789 30FurigayJane (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |