Archive - October 2020

Park Bank Community Spotlight: Mercy Dental Group

Are you due for a teeth cleaning? In the first few weeks of the COVID-19 shutdown this past spring, the pandemic shut down much of Mercy Dental Group’s regular activity, with the exception of emergency cases. But now, they are back to business – but not as usual.

“We want to balance the importance of dental health and regular cleanings with ensuring a safe environment in light of the COVID pandemic,”...

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Park Bank Community Spotlight: The Original Pancake House.

There’s nothing more comforting than breakfast food. And that’s why The Original Pancake House, located at 5518 University Avenue, has found ways to continue to serve their legendary pancakes throughout a year that has been particularly challenging for restaurants.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Original Pancake House has added outdoor seating, ramped up their carry-out...

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Park Bank Community Spotlight: Traditions Specialty Lighting Professionals. While we haven’t even quite approached Halloween yet, there are signs already in the air – the holiday season is upon us.

As you drive around town and begin to see lights and decorations adorning both businesses and homes, there is a good chance that much of that holiday spirit was installed by Traditions Specialty Lighting Professionals.

Traditions has been in business since 2011, when...

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You have a lot of spare time, right?

Ha.

Right. I saw that eye roll.

Every minute of your day is valuable and you should be spending those minutes on the things that bring meaning to your life – things that help you reach a goal, things that create memories with your family, things that help you grow, things that make you happy.

And while your finances certainly play a role in all of that, they shouldn’t be a starring role.

Let’s...

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The Small Business Administration just released new guidance that simplifies the loan forgiveness application for PPP loans of $50,000 or less.

If you borrowed less than $50,000, you will need to complete the two-page application – Form 3508S – which includes certifications from you as the borrower, along with documentation that verifies your forgivable payroll and non-payroll expenses.

In addition, you will need to retain any documentation related to your PPP loan...

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Nonprofit organizations often serve communities that face economic challenges even in the best of times.

And now, those challenges have been compounded.

Centro Hispano of Dane County (Centro), the leading social service provider for Latinos in Dane County and a hub of the community, has certainly felt the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about.

“This crisis has uncovered a lot of divides and inequities that were already present for communities...

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Restaurants are providing curbside pickup. Shops are offering delivery. DJs are offering drive-by parties to celebrate birthdays.

Businesses are finding creative ways to provide access to their products and services while continuing to support community efforts to maintain a safe physical distance from one another.

Banks are doing their part, too. In fact, banks have been providing products and services all along that can help limit or even eliminate person-to-person contact...

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Where you bank matters. Just ask the Wall Street Journal and Jim Cramer of Mad Money on CNBC, who recently touted the way community banks were able to prove their value through their success assisting small businesses with the Paycheck Protection Program.

The Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, was put in place to provide assistance to small businesses, offering a forgivable loan if the business retains its employees for eight weeks and the funds are used for payroll,...

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It’s a word that can hang heavy on our shoulders. Most of us have it, and none of us want it.

Debt.

Debt can be stressful to even think about, let alone sit down and make a plan for. But – that’s exactly what we have to do in order to begin to get rid of it.

Debt management is all about striking a balance between...

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We may have a long way to go for a full economic recovery, but if the statistics from the Small Business Administration are any indication, community banks will continue to play a leading role.

When the Paycheck Protection Program went live back in April, community bankers nationwide were working all hours of the day and night to ensure local businesses had access to the funds they needed to keep their businesses running and our communities strong.