St. Petersburg bank reaches billion-dollar milestone

St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank recently announced it reached a milestone of $1 billion in assets. 

Founded in June 2021, the bank says it emphasizes solving environmental sustainability issues and lives out its corporate values in a variety of ways, including operating net zero emissions and acquiring a fintech firm that indexes environmental, social and governance performance for thousands of companies for the purpose of consumer transparency. 

"Our rapid national growth is because of our commitment to fight climate change, not in spite of it. Across the country, individuals, homeowners and businesses are demanding renewable energy investments, especially solar. That demand will only grow in the years ahead. So let me be clear: we have seen incredible growth since we opened our doors three years ago, but we are only getting started,” Founder Ken LaRoe says in a statement.