2010 Community Lender of the Year

1st Community Bank -

1st Community Bank: Community Lender of the Year

1st Community Bank, under the direction of Betsy Geddis, Vice President & Manager of the SBA Department has successfully grown the SBA 7(a) loan program in the last four years to become the number one lender in the total number of loans for the Harlingen District and Corpus Christi Branch Offices.

Wes Hoskins, President, showed his dedication to servicing the local small businesses by establishing an SBA Department in 2006. With the rollout of the Patriot Express in June 2007, Ms. Geddis approved a total of 22 loans. In FY 2008 21 loans were made utilizing various Express programs. The trend continued in 2009 as 1st Community Bank participated in the American Recovery & Reinvestment ACT (ARRA) approving 29 loans.

The bank has continued to assist the underserved small businesses of South Texas with essential credit by approving 34 loans to concerns in rural communities. Due to their SBA loan volume, 1st Community Bank is now eligible to apply for Preferred Lender Status.