Washington Financial Bank honored with its second consecutive win at 24th Annual CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium
Wolters Kluwer’s Compliance Solutions business has named Washington Financial Bank, based in Washington County, Pennsylvania, as the winner of its 2020 Community Impact Award. The award honors financial institutions for the breadth and innovative application of community development programs to benefit low- and moderate-income communities in which they do business.
The announcement was made at the company’s 24th annual CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium held on December 7.
Washington Financial Bank actively supports ALL (“A Little LIFT”), an initiative developed by a regional non-profit, Blueprints, that focuses on mobilizing public and private resources to deal with the causes of poverty, not just its impact. Earlier this year, the bank formed a committee to directly help address poverty through grants administered by a group of bank employees, giving them a direct say on the bank's charitable giving. The Washington Financial Little LIFT Committee is comprised of 18 bank employees at all levels who review program applications. As of late October, the Committee has provided 51 grants to support community individuals’ needs that range from providing baby clothing and critical car repairs to COVID-19 relief funding. All funding is provided through The Washington Financial Charitable Foundation.
“The Washington Financial Bank partnership with Blueprints’ “A Little Lift” project is an opportunity for us to make an impact through donations that can easily prevent small barriers from becoming overwhelming obstacles for local families, while making our community stronger as a result,” said Brooke Gawlas, CRA Officer, at Washington Financial Bank. “The need for this kind of focused support has become especially apparent in our community since the onset of the pandemic and the resulting lay offs, job losses and other major disruptions to people’s lives.”
In 2019, the bank won a Wolters Kluwer Community Impact Award for its work in supporting three community development initiatives—“The Education Partnership;” “Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh;” and “Making Money Make Sense” programs—that are helping enrich the communities in which it operates.
“The kind of impact that programs such as these are having is truly remarkable and an inspiration to the broader banking industry in demonstrating how banks can positively affect communities where they operate in very meaningful ways,” said Steven Meirink, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions. “We are honored to recognize Washington Financial Bank’s ongoing commitment and caring toward those they serve.”
Founded in 1899, Washington Financial Bank is proud to have remained the largest locally owned and managed financial institution in Washington County, PA. With assets of over $1 billion and a network of 11 branch offices and three loan centers, Washington Financial Bank is well equipped to meet the evolving needs of its communities. For more information about Washington Financial Bank, please visit www.mywashingtonfinancial.com. Member FDIC.
