Customers Bank Donates $100,000 to Berks County Community Foundation

WYOMISSING, Pa., Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers Bank is donating $100,000 to Berks County Community Foundation as part of the bank's ongoing commitment to improving educational opportunities in its home region.

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"We believe the proper role of a community bank is to not only provide loans to businesses and other enterprises, but also to support measures that help strengthen the framework of the community," said Richard Ehst, President & Chief Operating Officer for Customers Bank. "That is why we are so pleased to make this contribution to Berks County Community Foundation."

"We are very grateful for the support that Customers Bank and other businesses provide to our opportunity scholarship program. Because of their generosity, we can help many more children that are looking for a new start that will ultimately lead to a bright future," said Kevin Murphy, President of the Berks County Community Foundation.

The donation is being made under the auspices of Pennsylvania's Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program, which enables eligible students residing within the boundaries of a low-achieving school to apply for a scholarship to attend another public or nonpublic school. A low-achieving school is defined as a public elementary or secondary school that ranks in the bottom 15 percent of schools based on the combined math and reading scores on the previous year's Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).

Berks County Community Foundation is a qualified Opportunity Scholarship Organization that provides tuition assistance in the form of scholarships to help eligible students get the opportunity to attend a better school. The Customers Bank contribution will go toward those scholarships.

"The biggest return that we see is the chance to help promising young students maximize their educational opportunities," said Ehst. "Hopefully our commitment will encourage these young people to pursue their dreams and play a positive role in the continued growth and success of their community."

About Customers Bank
Customers Bank is a community-based, full-service bank headquartered in Phoenixville, Pa., with assets of about $3.0 billion.  A member of the Federal Reserve System and deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"), Customers Bank provides a full range of banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, individuals and families through branch locations in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Committed to fostering customer loyalty, Customers Bank uses a High Tech/High Touch strategy that includes use of industry-leading technology to provide customers better access to their money, as well as a continually expanding portfolio of loans to small businesses, multi-family projects, mortgage companies and consumers. Customers Bank is a subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company based in Wyomissing, Pa.

About Berks County Community Foundation
Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that serves as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing and distributing funds to meet existing and emerging community needs. The foundation provides more than $2 million in grants and scholarships annually for the region. For more information, log on to www.bccf.org or call 610.685.2223.

SOURCE Customers Bank