The Dime Bank Announced as 2021 Plan Sponsor of the Year Winner The Dime Bank is proud to have been announced as the 2021 Plan Sponsor of the Year winner in the Corporate 401(k) <$25MM category. The annual Plan Sponsor of the Year awards program recognizes retirement plan sponsors that show a commitment to their participants’ financial health and retirement success. The 2021 awards had nine categories to allow for the most accurate comparisons across plan types and sizes. When asked about the success of The Dime Bank’s 401(k) plan, Chief Human Resources Officer Jill George stated, “We have such a good relationship with both our record keeper, Fidelity Investments, and adviser, L.R. Webber. I never hesitate to call on them. We have a great practice to discuss the pros and cons of plan features. We’re a three-legged stool of retirement planning, and this has made the plan the one it is today.” Retirement plans require an organized, well-documented process to fulfill a fiduciary obligation. The Dime Bank’s 401 (k) plan does so much more than that! The Dime Bank’s plan offers annual education sessions with retirement specialists so participants can see how they can best be ready for retirement. The plan provides auto enrollment with safe harbor matching, auto escalation to encourage increased retirement savings and Target Date Fund investment choices. The Dime Bank pays the administration costs of the plan so employees can save more for retirement. All of the information is easily accessible on employees’ mobile devices. To read more about why The Dime Bank’s plan is so special and why The Dime Bank was chosen as a winner, go to the Plan Sponsors Award listing.
The Dime Bank Relocates Greentown Branch On Thursday, July 22, 2021, The Dime Bank broke ground for construction of their new Greentown branch. The facility will be located on Route 507, adjacent to Dutch’s Market and will continue to operate with the same hours as the current location. The facility was designed and will be built by PW Campbell, a firm that specializes in construction for the financial services industry. The new branch office is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. The branch design features an updated color scheme, furniture design and the use of innovative technology. The bank seeks to align the branch office with modern banking needs through inclusion of these enhancements. “The design of this new facility is our first office to be specifically constructed to utilize the Universal Banker branch concept. All of the office staff are trained to handle all transactions in order to ensure a seamless customer experience,” Peter Bochnovich, President and Chief Executive Officer said. “We are excited at the opportunity to offer this enhanced physical branch model in the Greentown market and expect that our customers will be pleased with this improved banking experience. All of our branches are transitioning to use of the Universal Banking model and will offer similar customer experiences.” Pictured left to right: Pike County Treasurer John Gilpin; Honorable Michael Peifer, PA House of Representatives, District 139; Paul Otway Dutch’s Market; Gerald Obert, Supervisor for Greene Township; The Dime Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich; PW Campbell Principal John Campbell; Chairman of the Board John Kiesendahl; Senator Lisa Baker, PA State Senate, District 20; Board Director Tom Peifer.
The Dime Bank Announces PennCFL Challenge Winners The Dime Bank is thrilled to announce winners of The Dime Bank sponsored Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy (PennCFL) Stock Market Challenge competition. Paige Schmidt, a student at Honesdale High School under the leadership of Ms. Barbara Lutat, triumphed in the Pike & Wayne Stock Market Challenge competition by finishing in first place in the High School Division. Read More Kevin Scissons, a student at Preston School under the leadership of Mr. Don Burchell, finished in first place in the Middle School Division. Read More Lakota Kinney, a student at Damascus School under the leadership of Mr. Don Burchell, finished in second place in the Middle School Division. Read More Logan Arthur, a student at Carbondale High School under the leadership of Ms. Licia Olivetti, finished in third place in the High School Division. Read More Reilly McNish, a student at Wallenpaupack Area School District under the leadership of Mrs. Argyro Paspalas, finished in third place in the Middle School Division. Read More Rosa SanClementi, a student from the Wallenpaupack Area School District, finished top ten in the state in the Spring Statewide 2021 Elementary School Division. Rosa worked under the leadership of her teacher, Mrs. Argyro Paspalas. Read More Congratulations Paige, Kevin, Lakota, Logan, Reilly, Rosa, and their teachers Ms. Lutat, Mr. Burchell, Ms. Olivetti, and Mrs. Argyro Paspalas on job well done! PennCFL provides to all students in grades K -12 in Pennsylvania a world-class, web-based stock simulation platform and curriculum. The cutting-edge, real-time stock game is derived from Stock-Trak’s University Platform, which is used in over 80% of the top business schools in the United States. The Dime Bank is proud to sponsor programs such as PennCFL that promotes financial education in our local schools.
Dime Bank Announces Website Redesign Coming Soon We are excited to announce that our redesigned website is scheduled to launch on June 30th! Our team worked hard to create a site with an updated look that is easier to navigate with useful information at your fingertips. Scroll down the homepage just like a news feed. Find our products and services listed together on product cards and explore your options for more details. All of your favorite features are still there: log in to online banking, open accounts, find security tips, apply for The Dime Bank job openings, plus learn all about various ways to bank on one easy to read page, and more! The web address hasn’t changed, you will still find us at www.thedimebank.com. This is the first phase of our upgrade. Later in the year, more exciting features are coming to make 24/7 banking with us even better. We hope you enjoy our fresh improved look. Thank you for choosing The Dime Bank!
The Dime Bank Promotes James Gardas The Dime Bank Board of Directors along with President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich, are pleased to announce that James Gardas was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President of the Wealth Management Division. Gardas is an investment adviser representative for The Dime Wealth Management, a full-service brokerage operation located within The Dime Bank. Gardas has almost thirty years of experience in the customer service arena including twelve years of experience in the Wealth Management Division. Gardas graduated Summa Cum Laude from Charleston Southern University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a dual major in Business Administration and Mathematics. Gardas is a registered representative of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and is life, accident and health insurance licensed and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary. Gardas offers stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money management, annuities, insurance products, advisory services, retirement and educational savings plans, financial and estate planning services, and trusts to individuals and businesses through the Wealth Management Division. Peter Bochnovich stated, “Jim is an invaluable asset to The Dime Bank team. As the head of our Wealth Management division, Jim’s expertise has broadened the Wealth Management client base since taking the lead. His counsel and knowledge are a great fit for his customers, his team, and as a leader to The Dime Wealth Management division in pursuing our growth objectives.” He currently resides in Hawley, PA with his wife, Jade, and his two dogs, Moxie and Nugget.
Ferdinand Feola is Promoted to Senior Vice President at The Dime Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich and the Board of Directors announced the promotion of Ferdinand Feola to Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and a member of The Dime Bank’s Senior Officer team. Feola joined The Dime Bank’s management team in 2019 as Vice President, Chief Technology Officer. Within this role, Feola leads a strategic, cohesive bank-wide technology program to align technology goals to other departmental and organizational objectives. Feola evaluates and implements new systems and upgrades existing infrastructure for the optimal use of data, information, and digital technology platforms. These efforts assist in achieving greater convenience and time saving benefits for customers and increased efficiency for the bank’s employees. President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich stated, “Ferd’s 25 years of technology leadership brought a wealth of knowledge to the information technology side of The Dime Bank. He brings technology to the forefront of our business with our employees and customers. We are excited to have Ferd in this elevated management role as we pledge to continue to offer the best banking solutions to differentiate the banking experience at The Dime Bank.” Feola holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Valley Forge and has completed FEMA Incident Command Training. He is a published columnist writing technology articles for national publications. Feola is also a licensed minister and together with his wife, Bonnie, they have a passion for seeing families prosper and restored. They have been involved in Foster Care for several years, served in several positions in the local church, and have led and participated in multiple short-term outreach trips to Romania and Puerto Rico.
The Dime Bank Announces Brian C. Urbas as a New Commercial Lending Officer Brian C, Urbas has been hired at The Dime Bank as a new Vice President, Commercial Lending Officer, announced President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich. Urbas has 20 years of progressive banking and lending experience working at Northeast PA financial institutions serving Wayne, Susquehanna, and Lackawanna counties. Urbas’ enthusiastic and driven leadership skills coupled with his extensive experience yielded long-lasting customer relationships and strong business partnerships. His responsibilities included developing strategies to build new retail and business relationships in various industries, underwriting, and preparing and analyzing financial information for loan approval. Urbas’ responsibilities as a vice president, commercial lending officer at The Dime Bank will be garnering new commercial customer relationships in the area as well as maintaining existing commercial relationships. Senior Vice President Chief Lending Officer William Boyle stated, “Brian’s experience and knowledge of the various financial needs of commercial customers make him a great addition to our commercial lending team. His ability to focus on business development coupled with his superb customer service will prove to be a benefit for The Dime Bank and our customers, present and future.” Urbas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Bloomsburg University. He lives in the Forest City area with his wife Lora and three children Claire, Max, and Marlo. Urbas is a basketball and baseball coach for the Forest City Regional Schools and a baseball coach in the Carbondale Teener League.
The Dime Bank Donated $8,000 to Support Students of Pike & Wayne County The Dime Bank donated $8,000.00 through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program to the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy (PennCFL). PennCFL provides to all students in grades 3-12 in Pennsylvania a world-class, web-based stock simulation platform and curriculum. Students can learn how to trade all year long by using the whole curriculum, courses, and more, including two ten-week competitions. The competitions are held in the classroom, by county and state-wide. The platform provides lessons, assignments, and grading for seamless teacher management. The cutting-edge, real-time stock game is derived from Stock-Trak’s University Platform, which is used in over 80% of the top business schools in the United States. Teachers and students get access to our extensive experiential education teaching and learning tool designed by Stock-Trak, the world’s leading provider of investment portfolio simulations for colleges and schools. It offers an entire standards-aligned curriculum library and a distance learning-optimized lesson plan database which includes a Google Slides presentation library, teacher training webinars, a student video library, a full personal finance course and a teacher’s dashboard for student assignments, progress reports, and grading. PennCFL President Alan W. Dakey stated “Thank you for again supporting the Wayne Pike Stock Market Program and for increasing your support. The Dime Bank was one of our early sponsors when we were first getting started a few years ago, and your support was a great help in getting us launched in our early years. During the past school year over 20,000 students participated in our financial literacy programs and we have dramatically expanded our online resources particularly in light of the pandemic. Thank you for being one of our founding sponsors.”
