KINGSTON, N.Y. — Ulster Savings Bank received the 2020 National Community Bank Service Award for “extraordinary efforts to help small business, consumers, and their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Independent Community Bankers of America announced in a press release. 

During the pandemic, Ulster Savings Bank stepped up as a “financial first responder and steward of its community” by working nights and weekends to provide Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program Assistance, processing more than 455 loans providing $34,405,749 in financial assistance to save approximately 4,730 jobs.

The bank also waived more than $1.1 million in fees and donated resources to support essential workers, businesses, local charities, and those in need with more than $310,000 in donations and 1,339 volunteer hours benefitting more than 139 local organizations.

The bank also delivered gifts and a “sense of hope” when members of the community needed it the most, the announcement said.