Spring Bank Staff Profile
When we became the first bank in The Bronx to headquarter there in decades, we knew that hiring locally was crucial to understanding our customers’ needs. Many of our staff at our Bronx branch live and work in The Bronx. It goes back to our belief that the best way to serve our community is by working with the people who know it best. Germarie Medina has lived on 167th St for over 20 years and worked at Spring Bank for four of them.
“I love working for a community bank in my neighborhood,” she says. “Not only do I get to interact with many of the people that I grew up with, but I also get to provide them a service that I know will benefit them.”
Germarie started working with us as a Teller and then a Greeter when she was a junior in college. She became familiar with our products and helped guide our clients to their needed support in those roles. We were so impressed with her outreach and ease with community members that we offered her an internship in our consumer lending department.
Our consumer lending department offers various personal lending products. One of Germarie’s favorite to recommend is our Credit Builder Loan. It allows clients to save while improving their credit score, the two most essential attributes to financial independence. There, Germarie quickly mastered the process of helping underserved community members apply for a personal loan. Still, she also had her first opportunity to address the obstacle we exist to remove – financial illiteracy and exclusion.
“I provided a more human and holistic approach that allowed clients to get the personal loans they needed but could not get elsewhere because of credit and income issues,” Germarie explains. “It was a great opportunity because I’m from this community!”
Her passion for The Bronx and ability to help people get a personal loan left an impression. As soon as she graduated, we offered her a position as a Credit Analyst in our commercial lending department. At the time, she was considering a career in investment banking, but the call to serve her community was stronger.
Today, as a Credit Analyst, she uses her local and financial expertise to help our small business and real estate customers access the credit lines and commercial loans they need to accomplish their goals. She also continues to combat the financial illiteracy she first encountered when she was an intern.
“Many of our small business clients lack the financial literacy to apply for our financial products,” she says. “But I don’t give up on them. Instead, I meet with them one-on-one and offer them personalized services that give them the time and space to bolster their applications, so they can get access to the products they need.”
We offer a variety of financial products that aim to stimulate growth and opportunity in The Bronx. Whether it’s a personal checking account, a business checking account, or a personal loan, we tailor our products to meet the needs of our community. But the most important thing we offer is our individualized approach.
“Spring Bank’s mission is to create a world where all people have opportunity and access to building prosperous futures: I believe I am living proof of Spring Bank’s mission,” says Germarie.
After witnessing Germarie’s impact over the years, we couldn’t agree more. Learn more about how we make our mission a reality by reading our staff profile on Barry Mann here. Get a firsthand look at the perks of banking with a community bank by opening a personal checking account or a small business account with us today!
