Community bank readies itself for surge in business

For most community banks on Florida’s west coast, the theme of 2020 is protecting paychecks. Not necessarily of their own employees but for hundreds of businesses that sought federal Payment Protection Program loans.

Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, with a headquarters on Sanibel, a Lee County barrier island popular with tourists and seasonal residents, did a fair share of PPP loans: some 750 loans worth about $70 million. “That’s a lot for a little bank like ours,” Sanibel Captiva President and CEO Craig Albert says, noting about 30% of the bank’s 100 employees worked nights and weekend to stay ahead of the PPP deluge. “I told our employees we need to be the best bank in the country at this. We have to take care of our customers.”