Pub. 10 2020 Issue 2

9 PUB. 10 2020 ISSUE 2 sylvania committed $200 million in small business lending for COVID-19 relief. In Oklahoma, Citizens Bank of Edmond CEO Jill Castilla tweeted her personal cellphone for customers to discuss their needs. Bank of America committed $100 million to increase medical response capacity, address food insecurity, increase access to learning as a result of school closures and meet other community needs. This is just a small sam - pling of all that banks are doing. Through it all, ABA stood up for all of us in the industry. ABA staff are in constant contact with the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention officials, communicat- ing need-to-know information for mem- bers. At aba.com/coronavirus, you can find a vast array of information on industry practices, regulatory guidance, FAQs and situation updates — as well as webinars, a coronavirus communications toolkit and much more. And ABA is telling the story of how banks responded. At aba.com/CoronavirusRe- sponse, you may find examples of what I’ve already mentioned above from banks of all sizes and in all corners of America. These anecdotes combine to tell a compelling story to policymakers, the media and the general public about banks’ community commitment. “There’s plenty to keep us up at night,” I said in my ABA Convention remarks. But then I continued: “By working together on solutions, by thinking big and by persisting, we can tackle them all.” I believe that now more than ever. As we fight back against this global pan- demic, America’s banks are in the corner of our customers, business clients, employees and communities. Together, we’ll make it safely through. w ABA Chair Laurie Stewart is President and CEO of Sound Community Bank, Seattle. This article originally appeared in the ABA Banking Journal and is republished here with permission. a full service business law firm Buchalter Commercial Finance attorneys represent the most dominant institutions in the commercial finance market.The firm has practiced in this area since its inception in 1933. In Arizona, contact: Jeffrey Ekbom 480.383.1821 JEkbom@buchalter.com As the pandemic spread in the Puget Sound region and then through the country, banks like mine swung into action. Dusty pandemic contingency plans were quickly reviewed, updated and put into motion.