As pandemic drags communities down, banks step up

Banks and credit unions, in a bid to shore up the struggling economy, dig deep to support struggling residents — and gain new clients in the process.

  • By Brian Hartz
  • | 6:00 a.m. September 18, 2020
  • | 0 Free Articles Remaining!
Courtesy. Achieva Credit Union is so closely linked with education that it has a branch inside Northeast High School in St. Petersburg.
Courtesy. Achieva Credit Union is so closely linked with education that it has a branch inside Northeast High School in St. Petersburg.
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The coronavirus pandemic, now in its sixth month, has been a crisis of enormous proportions for nearly every sector of the economy. Early on, First Citrus Bank CEO Jack Barrett says banks acted as the economy’s “first responders,” facilitating aid by processing Paycheck Protection Program loans that helped businesses stay afloat and continue to pay workers. 

 

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