Framingham Co-operative Bank and its advertising agency, Sundin Associates of Natick, together have received one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for financial marketing by winning an American Bankers Association (ABA) 2009 Financial Marketing Award.

The Bank’s recent Checking for Charity campaign was the second-place winner among institutions of similar size in the Impact category of the ABA competition. Financial service marketers and advertising professionals across the country judged each entry based on execution of the communication strategy, message and positioning, and the campaign’s overall results. Entrants included banks, savings and loans, insurance companies, brokerage firms, investment firms, and credit companies.

CHARITY CHECK — Framingham Co-operative Bank’s Steven Sousa, senior vice president, and Rachel Stewart (far right), assistant vice president marketing, present a check representing the Bank’s Checking for Charity donation to (from left) Nancy Prevost, Amanda Starkel and Kate Glynn of the New England Division of the American Cancer Society.

“Winning this recognition is a wonderful honor,” said Steven Sousa, senior vice president of Framingham Co-operative Bank. “We are thrilled to be recognized for the creativity and ingenuity that went into this campaign, and with our customers’ response to it.”

Each new checking account opened at Framingham Co-operative Bank during the Checking for Charity campaign netted a $10 donation to the American Cancer Society. In addition, all Bank locations displayed and distributed informative cancer prevention, treatment, and research information to the public.

Sousa reported that nearly 500 new accounts were opened during the Checking for Charity campaign. The Bank directed its $5,000 Checking for Charity donation to the local office of the American Cancer Society and to the Natick-based Ovations for a Cure, to benefit ovarian cancer research and that organization’s community-based awareness events and programs.
 

SUM “Buddy”, the walking, talking ATM machine, has been traveling around informing people about surcharge-free ATMs available through the SUM program.

Now, you can follow his adventures, and enter to win through the “Win SUM Money” sweepstakes.

As a participating member of the SUM Network, our customers can avoid ATM surcharges by using nearly 1,600 ATMs in Massachusetts and nationwide at over 3,000 SUM ATM machines in 29 states and Puerto Rico.

Click here to learn more about the SUM Program and to enter the sweepstakes.

“Framingham Co-operative Bank always makes us feel right at home.”
- Gina Richard and Rick Ricciardi, owners of Carby’s Lumber and The Corner Cabinet, Framingham

At Carby’s Lumber and The Corner Cabinet in Framingham, they have what it takes to make any home a showpiece. When father and daughter owners Rick Ricciardi and Gina Richard needed financing to buy and expand their businesses, they turned to Framingham Co-operative Bank.

“They were instrumental in getting us up and running,” Gina says. “We love dealing with Framingham Co-operative Bank. They have all the financing programs we need, together with a personal touch that makes us feel right at home.”

Need a local partner for your business?
Call Nicholas Kefalas at (508) 820-4043 or Michael Bilinsky at (508) 532-8305.

“Framingham Co-operative Bank is a key ingredient of our success.”
- Michael O’Neil, Owner of North End Treats & Dan Torchio, Manager, Framingham

North End Treats cooks up some of the best pizza and pastries around. When owner Mike O’Neil cooks up new plans for his business, he relies on Framingham Co-operative Bank.

“They really listen to what I want to do and provide solutions to help me accomplish my business goals,” Mike says. “They always get me where I’m going with my business.”

Need a local partner for your business?
Call Nicholas Kefalas at (508) 820-4043 or Michael Bilinsky at (508) 532-8305.

If you have a checking account with us, you know how rewarding it is to be a Framingham Co-operative Bank customer. Now, we’re making it even more rewarding with our Checking Referral Program!

Simply refer a friend (or friends) to us, and we’ll give both of you $25 when they open a new Framingham Co-operative Bank checking account. Plus, if your friend signs up for Direct Deposit when they open the account, you’ll both receive an additional $25!

It’s easy to get started  – Download our Referral Form, and have your friend present it when they open an Ultimate Free Checking Account or Advantage Interest Checking Account. Once the new account has been open for 90 days, we’ll credit your account and do the same for your friend.

Don’t have a Framingham Bank checking account? Now’s a great time to open your account, and to bring a friend with you! Find out more about our accounts.

Please note:

• You must have a Framingham Co-operative Bank checking account to refer a friend.
• New checking accounts must remain open for 90 days to qualify for referral reward.
• Referrals of members of your own household do not qualify for reward.
• Limit one referral per customer.
  

Please join us for an ice cream treat. Stop by either of our branch locations Monday, August 10th – Friday, August 14th as we celebrate our 120th year of service to the residents and businesses of our community.

We look forward to celebrating this milestone birthday with you!

When fire strikes, you can count on the Framingham Fire Department to answer the call. Their skill, courage and unwavering dedication make our community a safer place.

In celebration of our 120th Anniversary, we salute the professionals of the Framingham Fire Department and the many other public servants we count on every day.

Members of Fire Company Engine 3 and Ladder 3 at Framingham Fire Department Headquarters with (l to r) Assistant Chief John Magri, Assistant Chief William Norton, and Fire Chief Gary Daugherty.

We are proud to call Framingham our hometown.

For an example of responsive government at its best, look no further than Framingham Town Hall. These dedicated professionals work tirelessly to serve the community and make Framingham a great place to live and work.

In celebration of our 120th Anniversary, we salute our town’s leaders and administrators for their commitment to our community.

Framingham Town officials include (front, from left): CFO Mary Ellen Kelley, Director of Parks & Recreation Robert Merusi, Town Clerk Valerie Mulvey, and Selectman Jason Smith. Also (rear, from left): Council on Aging Director Mary Parcher, Director of Buildings Jim Egan, Assistant Town Manager Timothy Goddard, and Director of Inspectional Services/Building Commissioner Michael Foley, CBO.

We are proud to call Framingham our hometown.

Dedicated to excellence in public service, the members of the Framingham Police Department work around-the-clock to protect and serve those who live, work, and travel in Framingham.

In celebration of our 120th Anniversary, we salute them for all they do to keep our community and its citizens safe from harm.

Framingham’s finest include (from left) Deputy Chief Kenneth Ferguson, Deputy Chief Steven Trask, Deputy Chief Craig Davis and Chief Steven Carl.

We are proud to call Framingham our hometown.

“Framingham Co-operative Bank is local and reliable. Just like us.”
- Jim & Joann Green, Owners Automatic Appliance, Framingham

At Automatic Appliance, they understand the value of dependability. That’s why they rely on Framingham Co-operative Bank for their commercial financing.

“They know us, they know our business and they make financing easy,” Jim says. “Their rates are competitive. Plus, they provide a level of service and reliability you can’t put a price on.”

Need a local partner for your business?
Call Nicholas Kefalas at (508) 820-4043 or Michael Bilinsky at (508) 532-8305.

The staff of the Framingham History Center is devoted to connecting us with our community’s rich heritage by collecting, preserving and sharing our stories, our historic buildings, and our local artifacts. Learn more at www.framinghamhistory.org

In celebration of our 120th Anniversary, we salute the Center for connecting the past and the present for the benefit of the future.

Framingham History Center personnel (from left): Volunteer and Research Librarian Kevin Swope, Curator Dana Ricciardi, Town Historian Fred Wallace, and Executive Director Annie Murphy.

We are proud to call Framingham our hometown.

Whether you need help on a school research project or a tip on a great summer read, you can count on the folks at the Framingham Public Library.

Their personal dedication to literacy enriches our entire community.
In celebration of our 120th Anniversary, we salute the professionals of the Framingham Public Library and the many other dedicated individuals in the community we count on every day.


Framingham Public Library staffers with Director Mark Contois (second from right) and Assistant Director Jeanne Kelley, (second from left).

We are proud to call Framingham our hometown.

The Framingham School Committee has commended Framingham Co-operative Bank for its third annual sponsorship of a student essay contest in two Framingham elementary schools.

A total of 182 students in 9 fifth-grade classrooms at the McCarthy and Hemenway schools competed for first-place honors for essays reflecting their personal thoughts on: “What Does Patriotism Mean to Me?”

The competition was sponsored by Framingham Co-operative Bank in conjunction with Partners in Education. The contest is incorporated into the classroom curriculum as practice for MCAS testing.

At a recent Framingham School Committee meeting, board members recognized and applauded the students and participating teachers. The board also thanked Partners in Education and the Bank, and specifically Kimberly Sambuchi, retail banking analyst, for providing Framingham students with the opportunity to participate.

One winning essay was selected from each participating classroom. Essay winners were awarded $75 Series I Savings Bonds from Framingham Co-operative Bank. All of the contest participants received certificates of appreciation from the Bank, as well.

Front row, from left to right, Hemenway Elementary students Noel Shay, Chris Barone, and Priyanka Roy. Second row, from left to right, Hemenway Elementary teachers Mrs. Denise Nolan, Mrs. Deb Nazzaro, Mrs. Mandy Marrella, and Mr. Stephen Wiltshire.

For the third year, Framingham Co-operative Bank has sponsored a student essay contest in three Framingham elementary schools.

Each year students in 11 fifth-grade classrooms at the McCarthy, Hemenway and Potter Road schools compete for first-place honors for essays reflecting their personal thoughts on: “What Does Patriotism Mean to Me?”

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Mark R. Haranas, president of Framingham Co-operative Bank, announced today that Kurt K. Bischoff, Jr. has joined the Bank as senior vice president, responsible for deposit operations and information technology management.

Bischoff joins the Framingham bank with over a decade of experience from South Shore Co-operative Bank, where he served most recently as senior vice president – operations and information technology. He also served in branch management and technology positions with Massachusetts Cooperative Bank, Summit Bank, and Greater Boston Bank during a career in financial services that spans nearly four decades.

A Norton resident, Bischoff holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Albion College in Michigan, and is a graduate of the New England School of Banking at Williams College. He also completed studies at Robert Morris Associates Commercial Lending at the University of New Hampshire and at the New England Banking Institute in Boston.

Throughout his professional career, he has been an active volunteer with numerous industry, community, charitable and civic organizations.

Chief Executive Officer Robert P. Lamprey offers Framingham Co-operative Bank customers his full assurance that every deposit at the Bank is protected, dollar-for-dollar, without restriction. Despite today’s uncertain economic environment, there’s no need to worry about the money you have in the Bank, or about the Bank itself.

Framingham Co-operative Bank is a safe, sound and secure financial institution with an outstanding capital ratio – the benchmark of a bank’s strength as determined by regulatory agencies.

Plus, Framingham Co-operative Bank provides a unique combination of coverage that automatically protects your deposits in full:

• On October 3, 2008, FDIC deposit insurance temporarily increased from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor through December 31, 2009. (For details regarding the FDIC’s account ownership definitions and coverage, please visit www.fdic.gov/deposit, or speak to your branch manager.)
  
  
• Transaction Account Guarantee Program
  Framingham Co-operative Bank is participating in the FDIC’s Transaction Account Guarantee Program. Under that program, through December 31, 2009, all non-interest bearing transaction accounts are fully guaranteed by the FDIC for the entire amount in the account. Coverage under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program is in addition to and separate from the coverage available under the FDIC’s general deposit insurance rules.
  

• All deposits over and above FDIC limits are covered by the Share Insurance Fund (SIF), established by the legislature in 1934 to protect deposits in Massachusetts-chartered co-operative banks.

You can count on Framingham Co-operative Bank for total peace of mind. No other bank offers you greater deposit protection.

Steven M. Sousa, senior vice president of Framingham Co-operative Bank, announced today that the Bank has introduced a new “Checking for Charity” initiative.

According to Sousa, the Bank will make a $10 donation to charity for each new personal or business checking account opened. The American Cancer Society will be the beneficiary of the campaign over the next 12 months.

To support the Bank’s commitment to help in the fight against cancer, displays at Framingham Co-operative Bank offices will feature informational materials about various cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular and prostate cancer, and skin cancer at various times throughout the year.

“We hope that displaying this information in our offices will help increase awareness, support research, and play a role in prevention,” said Sousa.

What could be more appropriate than a tried and true Framingham native at the helm of a tried and true Framingham institution? That’s exactly what happened on July 1st of this year when Mark Haranas became President of Framingham Co-operative Bank, nineteen years to the day after he first stepped foot into the local institution as the Bank’s new attorney. He may have been new to the Bank at the time, but he was certainly no stranger to Framingham. 

A real “Townie”
Mark was raised on the south side of Framingham, near the current Memorial House, formerly Memorial School. He was one of three siblings whose dad, Peter, a retired state police officer, died when Mark was only 13. Mark’s mother, Ellen, worked full-time at Bates News on Howard Street, and later for the Town of Framingham, to raise the family. Mark chipped in with his paper route — mornings, evenings and Sundays included.
    A genuine home-towner, Mark attended Memorial School, Lincoln Junior High School, Framingham South High School, and Framingham State College, where he majored in political science and history and earned a degree in 1976. Following graduation, he married the former Susan Smith, who is also a Framingham native. Susan went on to earn a nursing degree at Framingham Union Hospital School of Nursing, and Mark stuck close to home to take a job with the Framingham Board of Assessors and then became the Town’s Animal Control Officer, supervising a staff of seven, while applying for law school.

Back home
He paid his way through New England School of Law with the help of bank loans and a night job with UPS. After he received the juris doctor degree in 1983 and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar, it was back to Framingham — of course! — to practice.
    He joined the Framingham law firm of Sullivan & Sullivan, and serviced the former Framingham Savings Bank, for which the firm was general counsel at the time. He later joined and became a partner in the firm of Hargraves, Karb, Wilcox and Galvani, LLP, the general counsel to Framingham Co-operative Bank and served as the Bank’s attorney until accepting the position as president. He resigned from the firm and the successor firm (now Mayer, Antonellis, Jachowicz & Galvani) is still general counsel to the Bank. Mark’s oldest son, Peter, also an attorney, now carries on the Haranas tradition at his former firm.

Career change
Mark says that the opportunity to lead the Bank was one to which he couldn’t say “No.”
    “I have so much respect for former presidents Charlie Hickson and Bob Lamprey (still CEO and board chairman) that I couldn’t pass up the chance to learn about the business from a different perspective, and I knew I couldn’t learn from a better mentor than Bob Lamprey. “I have always told my children, to be flexible and open to change,” Mark says. “How could I not do the same?”
    Mark considers that he has always worked in service-related endeavors, and that his new role at Framingham Co-operative Bank is no exception. “Our mission is to serve the community, and we do it exceptionally well.”
    Driven by “a service mentality,” he has traditionally been one of the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night — Saturdays included. His idea of “a good day” is being able to solve problems and help others. “There is a great deal of satisfaction in that,” he says.

Nearby
The Haranas family now lives in nearby Hopkinton, where Mark was involved in coaching youth basketball and lacrosse when their children were younger. Mark and Susan’s middle son, Jim, started his first job this year as an English teacher at Charlton Regional Vocational School. Son Mark is a senior at UMass Amherst, where he is majoring in journalism.
    Elected to the Bank’s Board of Directors in 2000, Mark will continue to serve as a director and as a trustee of the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation.
    His immediate plans are to help ensure that the Bank remains conservative and stays profitable. “We’ve been here since 1889; we know we’ve been doing it right, and we’ll keep doing it right.”
    Also in Mark’s future is a holiday trip to a destination where he and his wife can spend time scuba diving — a favorite activity. It’s a safe bet that he will be the first to arrive and the last to leave!

Robert P. Lamprey, CEO of Framingham Co-operative Bank, has announced the promotions of Lawrence E. Erickson, Steven M. Sousa, Joseph M. Vincent, and Michael J. Bilinsky, Jr.












Lawrence Erickson, formerly senior vice president, is now executive vice president. A Framingham resident, he has been with the Bank since January 1990. He is responsible for the strategic expansion and management of the Bank’s commercial and residential loan portfolios.

Steven Sousa has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president. He joined the Bank in 2005 as vice president of retail banking with more than 25 years of community banking experience. His responsibilities include the oversight of retail banking, electronic banking, business development and marketing, and human resources. He is a Dedham resident.

Joseph Vincent, formerly vice president and controller, was promoted to senior vice president. A Dracut resident, he came to the Bank in 1992 with experience gained from positions with COMFED Savings Bank, KPMG Peat Marwick and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In addition to his role as controller, he oversees the Bank’s technology and security.

Michael Bilinsky was promoted from assistant treasurer to assistant vice president. Bilinsky  serves as the Bank’s business development officer, building strategic relationships and partnerships with local enterprises. He also serves as manager of the Bank’s main office, he is responsible for overall branch performance and for maintaining the Bank’s high standards for customer satisfaction. A Framingham native, he is now a Marlborough resident.