Dec 31, 2023 -
2023 was a monumental year for us at Ledyard Bank! It was a year of growth and transitions, and we are excited to share with you some of our highlights:
Josephine Moran Appointed President & Chief Executive Officer
Josephine Moran assumed the role of President & Chief Executive Officer following Kathy Underwood's retirement. Earlier in the year Josephine was appointed to the organization’s board of directors after a year of serving as Ledyard’s President.
Ledyard featured as one of Business NH Magazine’s Top Women-Led Businesses
Business NH Magazine recognized Ledyard National Bank as one of New Hampshire’s Top Women-Led Businesses, highlighting Josephine Moran, our President & CEO. We celebrate all of the women at Ledyard who lead us into the future!
Business Banking Expansion
Kimberly Lebron joined Ledyard as Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, becoming the only female Chief Lending Officer in the state of New Hampshire. In order to help small businesses grow and thrive in challenging times, our expanded Business Banking team focused more heavily than ever on providing relevant products such as Equipment Financing and Cash Management services.
Enhanced Security Features and Upgrades to GenGold Ultimate Plus
You spoke, we listened! We added Multi-Factor Authentication for our online banking services to ensure the safety and security of your accounts. Also, as we closed out the year, we upgraded our GenGold Ultimate ID members to Ultimate ID Plus! This upgrade includes $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance, Enhanced Monitoring, and BreachIQ, which evaluates and rates your personal risk.
Expanded Retirement Education
As a complement to our week-long, virtual Retirement Workshops, we launched a monthly, lunchtime MasterClass education series. These free webinars covered topics including long-term care insurance, Roth IRAs and conversions, settling an estate, leaving an impactful legacy, Medicare planning and year-end tax planning.
Convenient Digital Banking Upgrades
This year brought some convenient enhancements to our digital banking experience, including the rollout of online applications, the helpful eNotices feature and an upgrade to our free MoneyMap financial tracking and planning tool.
Call Center and Website Chat Upgrades
When you call or use the new chat feature on our website during business hours, you'll speak with one of our client support team members based in West Lebanon, NH. Alarice, Andrea and Vicky are happy to answer any questions you may have and help you with your banking needs. Since we began this upgraded service in August, our client support team has assisted with 10,131 calls!
Ledyard Responds to Local Housing Needs
Ledyard focused on addressing the current housing crisis with new targeted programs. For example, our Renters Advantage Loan is designed to ease the upfront financial burden of first/last month’s rent & security deposit requirements by providing unsecured loans up to $5000 for qualifying borrowers.
We also supported housing-focused nonprofits and partnered with Vital Communities, a nonprofit dedicated to engaging Upper Valley people, organizations and communities, to create equitable solutions to our region’s challenges, including affordable workforce housing.
Community Giving
We donated to nearly 60 non-profit organizations this year! Members of the Ledyard team served on 12 boards and logged 1,296 volunteer hours, including team-building work days helping non-profits across New Hampshire and Vermont.
We also partnered with the Concord Monitor to present Hometown Heroes, a series that highlights those who actively give back to their communities and celebrates community engagement.
And to end the year with a flourish, our Norwich Financial Center’s 19 Days of the Upper Valley fundraiser collected a record-breaking $9,025 in donations for the Upper Valley Haven, resulting in Manager, Nico Bekker, donning Barbie pink hair for the holidays.
Financial Center Re-Design
We completed a full makeover of our financial center in Hanover, New Hampshire. Its new, innovative design boasts cutting edge technology, including an interactive ATM, to make banking for our clients even easier. We expect to celebrate our new banking space with the community in the spring.
Ledyard Upgrades to OTCQX® Best Market
Ledyard Financial Group shares (OTCQX: LFGP) began trading on OTC Markets Group’s OTCQX® Best Market, upgrading from the OTCQB Venture Market. LFGP qualified for this upgrade by meeting high financial standards, following best practice corporate governance, demonstrating compliance with U.S. securities laws, and having a professional third-party sponsor introduction.
Awards
Ledyard National Bank was honored with a variety of awards including:
- Business of the Year Pinnacle Award from the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce
- One of American Banker Magazine’s Top 200 Community Banks for the 9th Consecutive year
- Valley News Reader’s Choice Award Finalist: Best Bank and Best Financial Planning Services
- The Concord Monitor’s Capital Area People’s Preference Award (CAPPIES) Winner: Best Financial Planning Services and 2nd Place for Best Bank
- Worksite Wellness Organization Award from the NH Governor’s Council.
- Ledyard National Bank once again earned its top (5-Star) rating for financial strength and stability. This recognition signifies that Ledyard National Bank continues to be one of the strongest banks in the nation. Having earned Bauer’s (5-Star) rating continuously for 70 quarters, Ledyard National Bank has also earned an even higher assignment as an “Exceptional Performance Bank”. This designation is reserved solely for banks that have earned this top rating for a minimum of 10 years consecutively (40 consecutive quarters) or longer.
We look forward to the year ahead and helping you make your life better. Happy New Year to you!