NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)- We are talking finances today. Whether you’re looking for a loan or maybe a place to save your money, it often pays to go local. Connecticut’s Morning Buzz Host Natasha Lubczenko was joined by the President and CEO of Northwest Community Bank, Maura A. Malo. She came in to discuss some of the benefits of using a community bank.

Everyone has to bank somewhere, and everyone works with their finances, but they might not know where is the best place to go. Maura shares her thoughts about why it’s important for people to bank locally with their community bank, saying, “It’s so important for people to bank locally with their local community bank. I think a lot of the big differentiators between us and a lot of the large regionals, is the fact that we were started by our depositors in 1860. So, we’ve been around a really, long time, and all of our decisions are made locally. So Northwest Community Bank, we’re located in Winstead, Connecticut. All of our Executive Team, our Board of Directors, we’re located right here in the area, so we understand what people need.” 

Maura reassures our viewers that they still offer all the same services that people can find at the “Big Box” banks. She says, “It’s very important for us to have the technology that our customers need. We’re dealing with, really these days, 2 facets of customers. We have customers who love to walk in the door and talk to us, and we can welcome them by name.” “And then we have those customers that are comfortable with technology and would prefer to do it, you know, in the evenings after work, pay their bills at home or small businesses, do it right from their office.” “So, we can offer the best of both worlds, and if you have a problem, we answer the phone, so we know who you are, what you need, and we can get you the answers that you need.”

Northwest Community Bank has 13 locations in Litchfield and Hartford counties, from Lakeville all the way out to Farmington. And Maura mentions that it’s important that people know that they’re a Mutual Bank vs. a Stock Bank.  She says, “As a mutual, we were started by our depositors in 1860. So, we don’t have to answer to shareholders. We’re not making quarterly earnings reports where we’ve got to make decisions based on those quarterly earnings reports. We have really a long-term horizon. We’re here to stay. We’re not going to be gobbled up by another large regional out-of-state bank.”

She notes that the other big importance is the community involvement they offer. She says, “We work here, we volunteer here, so it’s part of our DNA, that makes us a mutual bank, as we give back to the communities. So, our employees are involved in a lot of nonprofits in the communities that we serve. And, we, as an organization, find that very, very important. We started a foundation a couple of years ago where we’re giving grants back to the communities.”

To learn more about the services, locations and community involvement offered by Northwest Community Bank, visit their website at nwcommunitybank.com. Or you can always give
them a call.