Customer-Focused. Community-Centered. That’s Our Promise To You.
It is indeed a privilege to serve our customers, employees and community as President of Savings Bank of Walpole. Since joining the Bank in 2010, I have witnessed the interwoven relationship between Savings Bank of Walpole and our community firsthand. While a community bank’s role as part of the local economy seems obvious, I am inspired by the extraordinary level of SBW’s commitment to our community – and by how deeply it is felt by our staff, as well as by our local Board of Directors. We truly believe in our community and remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting our local economy.
The past year and a half have provided new challenges. The global pandemic has presented unimaginable new realities for each and every one of us. Through this crisis, it has been encouraging and inspiring to watch our community come together. As the challenges grew larger, our community became closer. As our community’s truly local bank we are proud to be part of this resilient community and to be able to help facilitate all that we have accomplished together. Out of the ashes of the pandemic, there is hope that our community will build on these lessons and realize how strong we are when we come together.
By the numbers, Savings Bank of Walpole is a $625 million (and growing) mutual savings bank, with six convenient offices serving southwestern New Hampshire and southeastern Vermont. But, the numbers don’t tell our story.
Our mission is simple. We’re here to provide financial products that are in our customers’ best interest, not the bank’s. This is and always has been the very foundation of our existence. More importantly, as the only bank headquartered right here in our community, we know that we are in business because of our community and for our community. This is our only home – and we know we cannot continue to thrive or survive without a strong local economy.
The SBW Local Advantage. We believe banking local has significant advantages for our customers and community. Our management, staff and Board live in this community and this is our only focus. All decisions are made locally. We are here to meet with you to listen, provide advice and resolve any issues you may have. And we answer the phone. Banking locally also means reinvesting in our community. The ability to use local deposits to lend money to local businesses and families creates a dynamic cycle that benefits us all.
Our employees are important to us. Carrying out our mission begins and ends with our employees. Our customer service model is clear – if you hire the right people, give them the right training and resources, and treat them well and with the utmost respect, the result will be a happy, engaged team made up of people who are committed to treating our customers the same way. We strongly believe that treating our people the right way creates a strong and everlasting community institution – the ultimate win-win situation. Perhaps this is one reason why American Banker Magazine named us one of the Best Banks to Work For in the U.S. every year for the past five years.
Our community is important to us. We take our role and responsibility as a community institution seriously. This goes beyond our financial support to community-based organizations and initiatives. SBW employees and Board members also volunteer their time and talents on behalf of the many local non-profit organizations and initiatives that make our community great. In addition, we are active on committees addressing critical local issues. As a result of our community involvement, SBW was proud to be the recipient of Monadnock United Way’s highest honor, the “Spirit of Monadnock Award,” for the second time in 2019. The award is “reserved for the organization and its employees who best exemplify the Spirit of our region through a culture of strong commitment, positive attitude and demonstration of continued broad-based support for the community and the Monadnock United Way.” We are delighted to receive this recognition, for we believe the award perfectly captures what Savings Bank of Walpole strives to be.
Hopefully you see why I feel so fortunate to serve our customers, staff, and community as President of this vibrant community institution. Plain and simple – Savings Bank of Walpole does good work in our community. We enthusiastically advise and assist our customers in financial matters of all types, and SBW employees strive to do the right thing for our customers and community every single day. We draw great satisfaction from helping a local businessperson finance his or her dream, or a young couple buy their first home. We exist to serve our community just as we have since 1875, and we do so with tremendous pride.
How can we help you?
Mark Bodin
President