About the Awards
At its annual convention in New Orleans, the American Bankers Association will present its annual Community Commitment Awards. These awards will recognize and celebrate the innovative and high impact contributions banks of all sizes make to the communities they serve.
The Community Commitment Awards for 2013 will recognize excellent projects and programs in six categories:
- Affordable Housing
- Small Business Lending
- Economic Development
- Financial Education
- Volunteerism & Philanthropy
- New! Sustainable Banking: Sustainable banking encompasses a wide range of initiatives. Green banks may choose to:
• Finance sustainable community development projects and programs
• Promote green banking through products and services
• Build sustainability into the corporate objectives through construction of LEED certified headquarters and branches as
well as enterprise-wide programs
The awards will be judged by a panel of experts in these fields. Award winners will be honored during ABA’s Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2013. All awardees will receive a complimentary registration to the convention.
Eligibility Criteria
The awards are open to banks of all asset classes, and banks will be judged against their peer institutions.
Banks can submit entries in multiple categories.
Submitting Entries
The entry period is March 4 through June 28, 2013. Winners will be notified by late August.
Entries must be submitted through the entry form that is available online. The initial submission process is focused solely on narratives provided in the entry form. No further materials should be emailed or mailed. Applicants may be asked to provide additional information at a later date to aid in the decision-making process.
2012 Award Winners:
Affordable Housing
Doral Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico, for d’Hogares (of Homes), a two-part social outreach program that to date has helped more than 25,000 families keep their homes through loss-mitigation and home donation programs.
Economic Development
Citibank, New York, N.Y., for the Citi Community Development partnership with The WorkPlace to expand its Platform To Employment (P2E) program—a proven curriculum of self-assessment, change management, effective communication and successful job search strategies to help the long-term unemployed deal effectively with credit and budget issues.
Small Business Lending
U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, Minn., for its Community Restoration Funds, a $1 million revolving loan commitment that makes capital available to pre-approved neighborhood developers working in Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis as a part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).
Financial Education
Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara, Calif., for Banking on Our Youth, a partnership with local nonprofit organizations and schools that included a six-week summer financial literacy program targeting at-risk students, a Get Smart About Credit course and bilingual-parent workshops that together reached more than 2,200 students and 400 parents.
Volunteerism and Philanthropy
Bank of Feather River, Yuba City, Calif., for Happy Landings, a welcome and orientation program for spouses of military members who have recently moved to Beale Air Force Base, making military families feel welcome in their new home town, and informing them about/connecting them to services provided by local businesses, benefiting all.