The word "community" gets thrown around pretty liberally these days, especially when it comes to banking. With names like "First Community Bank", Community Bank of (insert name here), and our personal favorite - the oxymoronic "National Community Bank"...it seems that everyone wants to be a community bank. When it’s all said and done, what is the definition of a true community bank?
A true community bank is about people - the people who work there, the people who bank there and the people with whom the bank invests. A community bank ought to have local ownership, employ local management and staff, work and partner with other local industries with cross business relationships and, most importantly, have local lending practices.
This is never more true than at Charter Oak Bank. With local staff and ownership, we are the community leader in all of the above, and are proud of our welcoming, personalized service. We know and support each and every customer with multiple relationship officers so you always have someone you know and trust to address your needs. We always look at local businesses to partner with when we are looking for assistance, because in this day and age, it is even more important to support and strengthen your local economy by working with your friends, neighbors and associates. We have helped a local restaurateur build an exciting new restaurant and resort hotel, supported a respected medical office, enabled a local artist to fund his vision of an expanded arts facility, facilitated the seasonal financial needs of vineyard owners, helped bed & breakfast owners meet their five-year plan, and encouraged new product development.
Just as important as its business philosophy, a community bank needs to be connected outside of its corporate walls. Our employees have taken a leadership position in being a good corporate citizen, by devoting their own time in helping support local community organizations. Our team donates over 3,500 hours of service to our community annually. We are passionate about what makes our community better and are always ready and willing to encourage our staff and customers to get involved. A strong, healthy community is beneficial to all its members.
Community is a strong and positive word, and must be supported by equally strong and positive policies. To sum it up… at Charter Oak Bank, our mission is to better the financial viability of our community and the people who live there. We welcome you to stop by either of our branches, speak with a personal banker and find out, first hand, what true community banking is all about.