North Shore Bank works hard to serve all the communities where we do business — and per the federal government, we’re succeeding. We want to maintain our strong record and build on it, and you can help! Here’s the story:

Like all commercial banks, under the federal Community Reinvestment Act, we have a responsibility to ensure we are helping borrowers with low to moderate incomes, as well as small businesses, in the communities we serve. Recently, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reviewed our CRA efforts from 2015 to 2018 and rated them “satisfactory.” While that designation might not sound too exciting, it is a good rating and we’re very happy with it.

The upshot is that North Shore Bank makes a real effort to:

• Qualify borrowers with lower-than-average income levels for our mortgage loan products
• Work with the Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority to help other borrowers
• Reach out to low- or moderate-income neighborhoods about our mortgage loan products
• Lend to businesses with annual revenues of $1 million or less, or help match them with other lending opportunities if we’re not the best fit
• Practice community development lending — lending to larger businesses that themselves support low- or moderate-income neighborhoods by providing affordable housing and creating jobs or otherwise stabilizing such communities
• Offer plenty of access to our products and services, such as with our video tellers and extended hours
• Spend time in the communities where we have a presence, by showing up and sponsoring events, participating in fundraisers, and so on

We’re doing a lot, and we want to do even more. So how can you help?

1. Make sure we know about your community involvement. If you’re involved with a group or organization focused on serving low- or moderate-income residents of one of our communities — by helping with food, housing, health services, or financial education, for example — it should go in our CRA records. Please share it here. Record the hours you spend volunteering and let us know if you hold or have held a title (such as treasurer or VP) in the organization too.
2. Let the bank know about opportunities for community investment. If you know an organization serving low- or moderate-income residents in one of our communities has financial needs, make sure we know about it. Tell us here.

We’re proud of North Shore Bank’s investment in our communities, and you can help us be even prouder! If you’re curious, you can search for the CRA report in Ask Seymour. For more information about our CRA activities, contact Kristen Gagliano, VP, compliance, or marketing communications manager Kate Knox. And thank you for all you do for both the bank and the communities we serve.