Santander Bank Celebrated Small Businesses Throughout the Month of May

BOSTON, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate the important role small businesses play in supporting the communities where they operate, Santander Bank turned the U.S. Small Business Administration's ("SBA") annual 'National Small Business Week' — celebrated May 5 through May 11— into a month-long celebration. The Bank hosted in-branch networking events throughout the month of May for business customers and prospects, and presented a $75,000 charitable contribution check to Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation ("DBEDC"), a Community Development Financial Institution ("CDFI"), to support small business development and financial education.

"From the jobs they create to the services they provide, small businesses are the backbone of our economy," said Amir Madjlessi, Santander's Executive Director and Head of Business Banking. "For the third consecutive year, we have dedicated May to our small business customers to recognize the meaningful contributions they make to their local neighborhoods, and focus our efforts on helping more customers meet their goals. May was the perfect month to recognize Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, an organization that, like Santander, is committed to supporting small business development and financial education."

Executives from Santander presented Perry Newman, Chief Executive Director of Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, with the $75,000 donation at a rally where more than 300 team members from Santander's Business Banking division gathered to share inspirational stories and best practices on how to best serve small business customers. The DBEDC will use the funding to support existing small business customers and aspiring entrepreneurs. This is the second installment of a three-year, $225,000 commitment to DBEDC.

During the month of May, Santander received three awards from the SBA for its commitment to small businesses lending.  

• The New Jersey SBA District Office presented Santander a Silver Award for closing 55-100 SBA loans during the 2018 fiscal year.
• The New York SBA District Office presented Santander with the Bronze Award for originating between $10 million and $15 million in new SBA loans during the 2018 fiscal year.
• The Connecticut SBA District Office presented Santander with the Lender of the Quarter Award, recognizing that in the first six months of the SBA fiscal year, Santander closed more SBA loans than the entirety of the previous fiscal year.

Added Madjlessi, "To be recognized by the Small Business Administration with these awards, especially during Santander's Small Business Month, is a testament to our increased focus in recent years to help more businesses with their SBA-lending needs." 

More than 160 Santander branches hosted receptions for local businesses throughout May where customers and prospects had the opportunity to meet with the Business Banking team and branch staff to learn about the many ways Santander can serve their financial needs.

At the end of the month, Santander executives hosted a free webinar on fraud and the current and emerging threats facing small business owners. Participants learned about business email compromise, data protection, and phishing and SMiShing scams in an effort to protect their businesses and reduce their exposure to fraud risk.

Santander's Business Banking colleagues support the community by volunteering more than 1,000 hours annually to teach financial education programs at non-profit organizations in their neighborhoods. In the month of May alone, Business Banking colleagues volunteered nearly 250 hours.

As part of Santander's commitment to its business customers, the Bank offers Business First, a microsite with practical tips and stories of innovation and perseverance to help them stay ahead of the competition. To respect the time and interests of its busy audience, the substantive content is presented in quick-read, easy-to watch and interactive formats that appeal to a wide-range of industries and business sizes at different life stages. 

Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the country's largest retail and commercial banks with $74.2 billion in assets. With its corporate offices in Boston, the Bank's approximately 9,600 employees, over 600 branches, more than 2,000 ATMs and 2.1 million customers are principally located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Madrid-based Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) - one of the most respected banking groups in the world with more than 125 million customers in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. It is overseen by Santander Holdings USA, Inc., Banco Santander's intermediate holding company in the U.S. For more information on Santander Bank, please visit www.santanderbank.com.

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Nancy Orlando 
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SOURCE Santander Bank

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