capeandcoastbk, Author at Cape & Coast Bank

Cape & Coast Bank Launches Premium Debit Cards

capeandcoastbk on March 13, 2024

Following the success of its MyCapeRewards program offering rewards to debit card users, Cape & Coast Bank is announcing the launch of a new series of premium debit cards.

In addition to points earned on standard debit cards through the bank’s MyCapeRewards Program, account holders will now have the option to upgrade their debit card to a My Rewards®Gold, My Rewards® Platinum, or My Rewards® Business Platinum debit card. The upgrades not only maximize awards, but also to access premium benefits including cash back for online purchases, prescription savings, and even emergency roadside assistance.

Through the MyCapeRewards program at all levels, cardholders earn points for using their debit card on purchase transactions made with signature or PIN. Program participants can choose to redeem points right away or accrue a greater point balance and apply it toward larger gifts, including vacations.

Premium debit cards issued as part of the bank’s My Rewards program incur a monthly fee, however, they come with unprecedented benefits including the following:

The My Rewards® Gold Debit Card offers emergency roadside assistance, hotel & car rental discounts, prescription savings, extended warranty, cash back and bonus points for shopping online, and more.
The My Rewards® Platinum Debit Card offers the same rewards as Gold along with additional benefits like cell phone protection and buyers’ protection.

Detailed information for each card type can be found here: https://www.mycaperewards.com/cardbenefit.

“The new series of My Rewards® premium debit cards provides yet another way for us to provide value-added services and benefits to our personal and business banking customers,” says Barbara Smith, Chief Banking and Strategy Officer, Cape & Coast Bank. “We look forward to working with our valued customers to provide them with the debit card that best meets their financial needs, while providing them best-in-class rewards in appreciation for banking with us, the region’s true community bank.”

For more information on the MyCapeRewards program, click here.

Shanika Rogowski Re–Elected to Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association Board of Directors

capeandcoastbk on February 22, 2024

Shanika Rogowski, Senior Vice President and Chief Residential Lending Officer at Cape & Coast Bank, has been re–elected to the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association (MMBA) Board of Directors.

The MMBA is the largest mortgage association in New England, offering comprehensive services to more than 225 corporate members throughout the region.

“Shanika’s continued presence on the MMBA Board of Directors is testament to her knowledge of the residential lending market and expertise in providing customers with the best mortgage counsel and service to meet their unique needs,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of Cape & Coast Bank. “We are proud of Shanika’s ongoing leadership role in this important statewide banking industry association.”

With three decades of banking experience at a large Fortune 500 financial institution and small- to mid-size community banks specializing in residential and consumer lending, Rogowski will be one of five women serving on the 19-member MMBA board.

“To continue to serve on The MMBA Board of Directors for a third year is a privilege and an honor,” said Rogowski. “I look forward to engaging and collaborating with other Massachusetts lending executives to develop and discuss best practices to better serve our residential lending customers.”

Rogowski, a resident of Mansfield, is also an active volunteer with community organizations and nonprofits, having worked with organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Relay for Life and the Mass Bankers Women in Banking Advisory Board.

The Coop Foundation Awards $35,500 in Grants to Local Nonprofits

capeandcoastbk on January 29, 2024

Cape & Coast Bank Charitable Foundation Trust has awarded $35,500 in grants to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving the critical needs of the communities it serves. During the recent quarterly meeting of the Board of Trustees, the following new grants were awarded:

$30,000 ($10,000 for three years) to Hyannis Public Library to be used toward the library’s $8.1 million renovation project to transform the more than one century old facility into a modern, versatile and essential public resource for the community. The renovation will provide accessibility for all, including visitors with low vision, the deaf and hard of hearing, English language learners and neurodivergent individuals. Also included in the project is the purchase and installation of new mobile furnishings and equipment, as well as significant technology and connectivity upgrades.
$7,500 to Cape Cod Times Needy Fund to support its Basic Needs for Vulnerable Residents (BNVR) program that provides financial assistance for basic human needs and tools and information such as in-depth resource and referral counseling to help households attain future sustainability. The program serves more than 4,000 of the Cape and Islands’ most vulnerable residents in need annually, helping to prevent homelessness, hunger and loss of utilities, transportation or childcare.
$5,000 to Champ Homes, a Hyannis-based organization that provides supportive, sober transitional housing to individuals over the age of 18 who are struggling with housing instability due to a variety of reasons, including the region’s severe housing crisis. The grant will support its Transitional Housing Assistance program, which addresses immediate concerns such as hot showers, clean towels, clothing and toiletries, an address for mail services and food. Additionally, participants work closely with a team of care coordinators to navigate continuing education, access healthcare, complete housing applications, obtain employment, and learn to advocate for themselves.
$5,000 to Lower Cape Outreach Council to support its nine emergency food pantries on the Lower and Outer Cape. The grant will help mitigate costs of providing clients with fresh produce, proteins and non-perishable products.
$3,000 to Cape Cod Brite Lights to help alleviate food insecurity and provide basic hygiene and feminine hygiene items to students in the Dennis-Yarmouth School District and Cape Cod Technical High School in Harwich. Founded in 2020 to provide weekend nutritional support to students in need, the program now serves more than 50 students and continues to grow.
$5,000 installment of five-year $25,000 grant award to Outer Cape Health Services to support the now completed renovation and expansion of its medical center in Harwich.

In addition, The Coop successfully nominated Good Grief Cape Cod for a $2,500 Massachusetts Bankers Association Community Grant Award. Good Grief Cape Cod is an organization that promotes positive change to how society responds to grief in children and young people by providing community engagement opportunities, sharing information and offering educational workshops with the goal of helping children and families cope with death.

“The beneficiaries of this quarter’s Coop Foundation grants are collectively making our communities better and more equitable places to live, work and thrive,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, Cape & Coast Bank. “As a true community bank, we have a responsibility to support nonprofit organizations that are working tirelessly to help our neighbors affected by poverty, housing instability, food insecurity and inaccessibility to public spaces.”

Cape & Coast Bank Appoints Janet Kieran as Digital Experience Leader

capeandcoastbk on January 9, 2024

Cape & Coast Bank has appointed Janet Kieran to the position of Digital Experience Leader.

Janet is an accomplished and innovative digital product management professional with more than two decades of experience in the financial services, health care and retail industries. She joins the Bank from Boston-based Reify Health Inc., where she served as Vice President of Digital Growth. She has also held senior digital project management roles at CVS Health, Staples Inc., Fidelity Investments and Fleet Bank.

In her new role, Janet is responsible for managing and implementing the digital strategy and leading the transformation of the Bank’s digital banking services to add value to clients. She will also play a critical role in enhancing the customer experience, coordinating digital transformation and innovation, and ensuring the bank maintains and builds upon its competitive edge in digital financial service offerings.

“Janet’s strong leadership, collaboration and analytical skills, combined with a deep and strategic understanding of digital banking technologies, will serve the Bank and our customers well,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, Cape & Coast Bank. “We look forward to working with Janet as she accelerates the enhancement of our customer digital experience across our full suite of advanced financial product offerings.”

Janet holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Boston University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University. She is also a dedicated community volunteer who has worked with several health and human services nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area.

“I look forward to joining Cape & Coast Bank, which has a unique local ownership model and strong commitment to investing in the community,” said Janet. “The opportunity to pair the Bank’s strong relationship banking model with digital tools and technologies to deliver the stellar, convenient banking experiences that our customers want and expect – whether online, using a mobile app, at a branch, or by phone – is particularly exciting. Pairing the knowledgeable and helpful employees with technology-driven continuous improvements will ensure that our customers can bank when they want, how they want and where they want.”

2023 Holiday Giving

capeandcoastbk on December 6, 2023

Pay It Forward

In 2023, our employees have raised about $26,000 through employee-managed #PayItForward Program to help 26 nonprofit organizations. For the past 13 years, our employees have supported local nonprofit organizations in our community by wearing jeans at work.

Every other Friday, employees donate a minimum of $5, and an organization is designated as the beneficiary. The organizations are nominated by employees and selected by the employee-based Pay It Forward committee. The only criteria for nominations is that the organization be affiliated with Cape Cod and a registered 501(c)3.

This holiday season, our employees worked in teams to use #PayItForward funds for the following holiday community programs:

28th annual Cape Cod Stuff-A-Bus to help the U.S. Marines’ Toys For Tots program.
The Salvation Army’s Dress-a-Live-Doll: Employees shopped for six teenagers.

Stuff A Stocking

A Baby Center is the beneficiary of our annual Stuff A Stocking program. Please consider helping local children and their families this holiday season by bringing donations of baby clothes and diapers, gift cards and feminine hygiene products to any of our branches. The unwrapped items can be dropped into the giant stockings located at each branch through Saturday, December 30th.

Learn More

Holiday Meal Deliveries

The Mashpee Chamber of Commerce is proud to organize and deliver holiday dinners to home-bound and in-need Mashpee residents. This year, our sponsorship helped with the cost of the meals. Our team also joined in to help make the deliveries!

Meals On Wheels

For the past 10 years, the Bank has provided holiday cards to be distributed with the Meals on Wheels deliveries for seniors served by the Barnstable Senior Center. This year, our employees volunteered to be part of a little holiday magic by writing handwritten, personal messages in the cards. Our goal was 250 cards, but we hit 385 cards!

#GivingTuesday

We’re proud to continue our #GivingTuesday tradition of supporting local food pantries by donating $1,000 each to 10 different pantries across the Cape.

2023 Stuff A Stocking: Helping A Baby Center

capeandcoastbk on November 28, 2023

Help local children and their families this holiday season by bringing donations of baby clothes and diapers, gift cards and feminine hygiene products to any of our branches. The unwrapped items can be dropped into the giant stockings located at each branch through Saturday, December 30th.

This year’s Stuff A Stocking will benefit:

A Baby Center fills in the cracks where local or federal assistance is just not enough to provide baby essentials to parents of infants living in poverty on Cape Cod and the Islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Please consider donating any of the following suggested items:

Size 6 diapers
$25 grocery gift cards for families
Feminine hygiene products
Layette items, newborn to 3 months:
- Bodysuits or onesies
- Baby jeggings or joggers
- Pajamas
- Rompers
- Hats
- Socks or booties
- Receiving blankets

Monetary donations also can be made directly to A Baby Center online, as well.

Cape & Coast Bank Launches Debit Card Rewards Program

capeandcoastbk on November 13, 2023

Cape & Coast Bank has unveiled a new program that offers rewards to debit card users.

Through the MyCapeRewards program, cardholders can earn points for using their debit card on purchase transactions made with signature or PIN. Offering points for PIN-based purchases is unique for rewards programs.

“Consumers have discovered the ease and convenience of using debit cards for their daily lifestyle needs,” said Barbara Smith, Chief Banking and Strategy Officer for the Bank. “We’ve found that our program offers great rewards, and our clients are eligible for gifts with as few as 100 points.”

Clients of the Bank will receive an email alerting them that an account has been created for them or that points have been deposited into their account. They can choose to redeem their points right away or accrue their points and accumulate them toward a gift in a higher-point category. Multiple gifts are available in each point category, putting the gift choice directly into account holders’ hands.

MyCapeRewards also offers a platform to shop from favorite retailers to earn cash back on purchases. Clients can also choose to use their rewards for contributions for participating charities.

“Giving back to our customers and the communities we serve is of utmost importance at Cape & Coast Bank,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO. “Through the MyRewards program, our clients can earn points that can be redeemed for everything from small gifts and services to gift cards and vacations. As a true community bank, we are proud to offer this loyalty program to our customers throughout the region.”

For more information on the MyRewards program, click here.

Cape & Coast Bank Charitable Foundation Trust Awards $41,500 in Grants

capeandcoastbk on October 12, 2023

Cape & Coast Bank Charitable Foundation Trust has awarded $41,500 in grants to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving the critical needs of the communities it serves.

During the recent quarterly meeting of the Board of Trustees, the following new grants were awarded:

$10,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod to build two new three-bedroom affordable homes in the Town of Brewster. One of the homes will be designated in perpetuity for a qualifying U.S. veteran and their family to purchase. Funds from The Coop Foundation grant will help offset the cost of building materials and licensed contractor labor, which have increased significantly in recent years.
$4,000 to Good Grief Cape Cod, an organization that promotes positive change to how society responds to grief in children and young people by providing community engagement opportunities, sharing information and offering educational workshops with the goal of helping children and families cope with death. The Coop Foundation grant will be used to continue programming in three Barnstable County schools to offer expressive art therapy for children who are grieving a death, loss and/or tragedy.
$2,500 to Friends Food Pantry (Friends of Bourne Council on Aging) to assist individuals and families in the Town of Bourne suffering from economic hardship and food insecurities. The Friends Food Pantry has been providing food and nutritional assistance for more than three decades, becoming a mainstay in the Bourne community as the demand for services has increased, especially during the pandemic and economic downturn.
$2,500 to The Cordial Eye, a community arts organization based on the mid-Cape, to support its Creative Futures Cape Cod (CFCC) program. CFCC is a paid fellowship and educational program for adults aged 18-40 in Hyannis and surrounding areas that have an interest in working within the creative economy. CFCC prioritizes those from historically excluded communities in the region, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled and financially low-resourced individuals who are at greatest risk to enter the criminal justice system on Cape Cod.

In addition, The Coop Foundation issued the latest installments of multi-year grant disbursements of $12,500 to Housing Assistance Corporation for continued support of its THRIVE Program, which offers rental assistance to low- and moderate-income families; and $10,000 to Amplify POC to grow capacity through program development and outreach initiatives designed to eliminate the racial wealth gap on Cape Cod.

“I congratulate the deserving beneficiaries of this quarter’s Coop Foundation grants,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, Cape & Coast Bank. “These nonprofit organizations and their staff and volunteers are on the front lines of helping our communities deal with the impact of critical issues including housing affordability, food insecurity and systemic racism. Their commitment and dedication make Cape Cod a better place to live and work.”

Business Toolbox: Secure Your Passwords with a Password Manager

capeandcoastbk on October 5, 2023

Do You Find It Difficult to Keep Track of All Your Passwords? Writing passwords down on a piece of paper isn’t the best solution form remembering your passwords. If you have trouble keeping track of all your passwords, don’t worry, you’re not alone. With all the different applications people use today, it’s not easy to keep track of all your passwords, especially when you have a number of different applications and they all use different criteria for the makeup of a password.

A Password Manager, sometimes referred to as a “Vault”, may just be the right decision for you. A Password Manager (or Vault) is a secure software solution, usually in a cloud environment, that you would be able to access from any device with an internet connection. Most of today’s Password Managers even come with a downloadable app for your mobile devices.
With a password Vault, login information (username and password) is stored in a secured database, which is encrypted by the Password Manager to ensure the information is safe. The only password you will need to remember is the password to access your Vault. Most password vaults come with seamless integration to your favorite web-browser so you can launch the application directly from your vault.

What is the Best Password Manager for Me? There are a lot of different Password Managers / Vaults to pick from. It’s up to you to do the research and find what solution will work best for you. To start out, do a search for “Best Password Mangers” and compare the different options. Here are a few things you should think about when selecting the right Password Manager.

Do your research and be very skeptical of any Password Manager that is new or does not have good reviews.
Go with a provider that offers Multifactor Authentication.
YOU should be the only person that has access to the vault AND YOU should be the only person that can re-set your password. If the provider has the ability to re-set your password, that’s not a good sign.
You should be able to access your Vault from any of your devices.
The Password Manager you select should be simple to use and understand.
What kind of support does the provider offer, is it 24 hours a day seven days a week?
How do they offer user support, online chat, email, and/or phone support?
What type of encryption do they use to secure the information in the Vault?
How much does it Cost?

Paul Forni is our Information Security and Red Flag Officer. For more security tips, visit mycapecodbank.com/resources/your-security/.

American Banker names Lisa Oliver as one of 2023’s Most Powerful Women to Watch

capeandcoastbk on October 2, 2023

Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of Cape & Coast Bank, has been named one of 2023’s The Most Powerful Women to Watch by American Banker magazine.

Now in its 21st year, American Banker’s The Most Powerful Women in Banking™ initiative recognizes individuals and teams for demonstrating exceptional leadership skills, strong business performance and a commitment to driving real outcomes for diversity, equity and inclusion in financial services.

“These women represent so much more than world-class business acumen and inspirational leadership skills,” says Chana Schoenberger, Editor-in-Chief at American Banker. “They symbolize the perseverance it takes to create meaningful change, the commitment needed to build stronger communities, and the creativity that’s essential to drive the industry into a new age.”

In addition to leading Cape & Coast Bank to increases in net income, return on average assets and overall growth, Lisa spearheaded a comprehensive communications campaign in the wake of banking industry turmoil to ensure customers that all deposits at the Bank were safe and secure regardless of balance. She also quickly pivoted the Bank’s marketing and sales strategy from being loan-focused to deposit-focused to better serve its clients. At Lisa’s direction, the Bank’s philanthropic efforts supported three of the region’s most critical issues – housing initiatives and solutions, social justice and racial equity.

“I am proud and beyond humbled to be recognized with this honor from American Banker along with so many other accomplished and talented women who are making an indelible mark on the nation’s banking industry,” said Lisa. “I would not have received this honor without the support, hard work and camaraderie of the entire team at the Bank. The superior service they provide our clients and business customers allow the organization to excel at the highest level as a true community bank for the Cape Cod region.”

This year’s honorees will be recognized at THE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN BANKING gala which takes place Oct. 5, 2023, at The Glasshouse in New York City. The gala is part of a week-long celebration which includes THE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN BANKING conference, which is open to all, on October 3-4th.