M&T Bank Expands Financial Access To Ethnically, Racially Diverse Communities From Harlem To Hollis

M&T Bank is expanding the services it provides to communities with high concentrations of ethnic and racial diversity by newly-designating 11 bank branches in Greater NYC as multicultural banking centers.

The centers will offer banking and other financial services in customers’ preferred languages and employ bankers from the branch’s respective neighborhoods who understand the cultural nuances of the individuals and communities they serve.

These branches are among the 118 multicultural banking centers the bank maintains throughout its Northeast and mid-Atlantic footprint.

These branches are among the 118 multicultural banking centers the bank maintains throughout its Northeast and mid-Atlantic footprint.

The expansion of M&T’s multicultural banking centers is part of the company’s mission to be culturally fluent for all communities, especially as the region becomes more diverse.

New York City’s Asian population has surged by more than 345,000 since 2010, now making up 14% of the population. 29% of the city’s residents identify as Hispanic/Latino.

New York City’s Asian population has surged by more than 345,000 since 2010, now making up 14% of the population. 29% of the city’s residents identify as Hispanic/Latino.

Blair Ridder, M&T Bank’s regional president for New York City.

“The diversity of Greater New York City’s residents are what make each of our neighborhoods unique,” said Blair Ridder, M&T Bank’s regional president for New York City. “The recent designation of our new multicultural banking centers demonstrate our clear intention to be the bank for all communities, allowing us to provide meaningful experiences in our customer’s language of preference and improve financial literacy.”

In Greater New York, M&T will be converting the following branch locations into new multicultural banking centers:

• Bay Ridge branch, 7807 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn
• Central branch, 2664 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
• Elmsford branch, 218 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford
• Forest Hills branch, 101-25 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills
• Great Neck branch, 23-25 North Station Plaza, Great Neck
• Harlem branch, 310 Lenox Avenue, New York
• Long Island City BBC branch, 1030 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City
• New Rochelle branch, 88 Fourth Street, New Rochelle
• Ossining branch, 246 South Highland Avenue, Ossining
• Riverhead branch, 1430 Old Country Road, Riverhead
• Richmond Road branch, 1591 Richmond Road, Staten Island

M&T currently operates multicultural banking centers at its Grand Concourse (Bronx), Bryant Park (New York City), Peekskill (Westchester), and Great Kills (Richmond) branches.

“Our community model has always enabled us to develop a deep local understanding of the people and places we serve,” Ridder said. “With our multicultural banking centers, we’re taking the natural next step – providing a distinctive M&T experience shaped by the preferences and perspectives of the diverse customers who rely on us. This locally customized, the empathetic approach will help families and neighborhoods have easy access to credit services – an important priority for us and the communities we serve.”

At these multicultural banking centers, customers will be able to access banking services in multiple languages provided by bilingual employees and through M&T’s translation assistance platform.

The centers will also create local opportunities for businesses, nonprofits, and community members to attend networking events, financial literacy classes, collaborate on community projects, and more.

The new centers build on M&T’s longstanding focus on local needs in its Greater New York communities:

• As the anchor partner to the Consulate General of Mexico in New York and Ariva, Inc. for the Ventanilla de Asessoria Finaniciera (The Ventanilla) Program, M&T’s counselors held nearly 3,000 financial literacy sessions to help residents achieve their financial goals.
• Advancing economic justice and equity, M&T works collaboratively with other corporate partners, private and family foundations to support multicultural communities and minority-owned businesses as a lead member of the Long Island Racial Equity Fund and the NYC Small Business Funder Collective.
• Through the bank’s tenured partnerships with the credit union community, M&T has held nonmember deposits across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, providing financial services and access to immigrant communities for more than 20 years.

“By providing access to banking services in multiple languages, we’ll open new pathways for our community to achieve financial empowerment,” said Marcela Ramirez, M&T senior retail sales strategy manager. “This designation has led to several actions locally to empower branch staff with new capabilities to serve our neighborhoods. Determined to fulfill our purpose to make a difference in people’s lives, it’s our goal to ensure our neighbors have more opportunities to connect with local bankers who understand their language, their culture and their needs.”

To make its digital banking tools easier to navigate for non-English speakers, the bank recently launched a Spanish-language website — available at mtb.com/es — that provides access to financial information and resources, including educational tools and an online branch-appointment setting.

Additionally, M&T updated its ATM network to provide services in Chinese and Korean.

At over 1,600 ATMs, customers are now able to complete cash transactions in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and English.

M&T also offers phone assistance in 240 languages at 1-800-724-2440.

M&T Bank

M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T’s principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Trust-related services are provided by M&T’s Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.

Photo credit: M&T Bank in Harlem.