Forbes Names Ridgewood Savings Bank to America’s Best Banks List for Third Consecutive Year

By SILE MOLONEY

For the third year in a row, Ridgewood Savings Bank has been named to the prestigious annual Forbes list of America’s Best State Banks 2022, Leonard Stekol, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ridgewood, announced on Tuesday, June 21. Additionally, Bankrate has named Ridgewood one of the Best Regional Banks of 2022.

In the context of the announcement, Stekol said that for more than a hundred years, Ridgewood has served the people of New York as a true community bank, providing customers with the best possible service and banking experience. “What sets us apart from other banks is that, quite simply, we treat our customers like family and go the extra mile every day to deliver service and trust,” he said. “On behalf of everyone at Ridgewood, we are so grateful to our customers for once again recognizing all that we do.”

According to Ridgewood, Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Banks includes the best banks based on the results of independent surveys involving approximately 26,000 American consumers who are asked to rate the financial institutions at which they have or have had checking accounts. Participants make recommendations on overall satisfaction and also rate banks in the following areas: trust, digital services, branch services, financial advice and terms and conditions. The list of the best US state banks 2022 is available here.

According to Stekol, Ridgewood is committed to exceeding customer satisfaction and is committed to meeting customer needs at all times. The CEO cited several personal and digital banking services offered by the Ridgewood that he says help customers and their families, including:

• free green verification, a green, paperless payment account with no monthly fees;
• Ridgewood’s first checking account that offers customers additional benefits, competitive interest rates on higher balances, free EZShield ID Plus protection, dedicated financial consultant services, and more;
• foreign exchange and international bank transfer services that allow customers to access more than 80 global currencies;
• Ridgewood’s student loan referral source that provides students with access through the bank’s website to private student loans through College Ave. Student Loans;
• Ridgewood’s online banking and, according to the bank, a popular mobile app that lets customers bank 24/7, including Alexa voice banking to help busy families manage their accounts while multitasking; and Ridgewood’s mobile wallet, which allows customers to pay for purchases using their smartphone or smartwatch; and
• access to 90,000 ATMs at no extra charge, EZShield Identity Restoration, EZShield® Identity Theft Protection, Billpay + Zelle® and more.

Stekol said Ridgewood’s reputation is built on a solid foundation of forward-thinking customer service. “We aim to provide an ideal in-person banking experience, while offering a full range of highly rated digital banking tools that allow customers to bank from anywhere, anytime, and a contact center customer with local staff who are there to help you in any case. way,” he said.

The shortage of banking services in the Bronx has long been of concern to residents. As noted, Ridgewood opened an additional bank branch in Norwood at 320 East 204th Street on September 14, 2021, which replaced the old Norwood branch which was located at 3445 Jerome Avenue.

As also reported, Ridgewood Savings Bank announced on September 1, 2021 that its Sedgwick Avenue branch, located at 3899 Sedgwick Avenue in the Van Cortlandt Village section of the Bronx, would finally remain open, much to the relief of local residents. As noted, three months earlier, in May of the same year, the bank had announced that the branch was to close.

In August 2021, we reported that after a nearly two-year wait, a new Chase Bank branch opened at 7 E. Burnside Avenue, just east of Jerome Avenue, bordering Fordham Heights and of Mount Hope, near the border of University Heights. . A former Chase branch located at 5 W. Burnside Avenue closed in October 2019, dealing a blow to the local community. The impact of this closure was compounded by the subsequent closure of a branch of the merged Bank located at 94 E. Burnside Avenue in Mount Hope in September 2020. As reported, this despite an organized rally on site in an effort to keep the branch open.

Norwood News previously reported a November 2020 break-in and burglary of a Bank of America ATM, located at 3424 Jerome Avenue in Norwood. In addition to the ATM room, a Bank of America bank branch previously existed at the scene but had closed a few years before the robbery.

Meanwhile, as part of a discussion on teaching young people the value of money and managing their finances, Congresswoman Nathalia Fernandez (AD 80) recently commented on the benefits of having banks , rather than just cash check services, available within a community, saying, “Cash Checking is not a bank. Having local banks that can help you with loans, set up savings accounts, is a huge step to just being in the mindset and action to be prudent with your finances,” he said. she stated.

For more information about Ridgewood Savings Bank, visit RidgewoodBank.com.