Wainwright Bank

Last updated
Wainwright Bank & Trust Company
Company type Private company
IndustryFinance
FoundedJuly 28, 1987 (1987-07-28) in Boston, United States
FoundersRobert Glassman and John Plukas
Defunct2010 (2010)
FateAcquired
Successor Eastern Bank
Headquarters
Boston
,
United States
Key people
Jan A. Miller, last President
Products Banking
Number of employees
100 (2010)
Website www.wainwrightbank.com [ dead link ‍]

Wainwright Bank was an American socially progressive bank based in Boston. The bank was founded in 1987 and was acquired by Eastern Bank in 2010. While it operated it was lauded as a "rebel with a cause making its reputation as a champion of social-justice causes, throwing its support behind everything from the gay-rights movement and affordable housing initiatives to immigration reform and the anti-Iraq war movement." [1]

Contents

There were 12 branch offices in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Watertown and Somerville. Wainwright made community development, affordable housing, civil and human rights, and other social issues a prominent focus of its activities and had a documented history of leadership in supporting social justice efforts.

Wainwright was featured in three books on this topic: in 2005, Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism by Patrician Aburdene; [2] in 2006, named as a “truly responsible and highly profitable firm that is changing business now” in The High Purpose Company by Christine Arena; [3] and in 2008 in the Soul of a Leader [4] by Margaret Benefiel PhD, CEO of Executive Soul and a teacher of spirituality and leadership at Andover Newton Theological School.

In June 2010 it was announced that Wainwright would be bought by the larger local regional Eastern Bank for $163 million. The purchase was completed by the end of 2010. Wainwright branches, staff and community involvement were absorbed by Eastern Bank and the Wainwright name was dropped. [5] [6] [7]

Mission and values

The bank had been a strong advocate for universal civil rights for gays and lesbians. It testified in 1996 before the US Congressional Committee on Small Business to endorse the Employment Non-discrimination Act (ENDA). [8] It supported equality for women by endorsing the National Organization for Women’s Women Friendly Workplace Pledge in 1997. [9] Wainwright has been credited as a leader in urging the Massachusetts Banker’s health insurance group to offer same-sex health benefits to all its member banks. [10]

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the bank was a leader and an innovator in its community development lending efforts and had an outstanding record of helping to meet the credit needs of its assessment area, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods, receiving an "outstanding" rating for its 2008 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation. [11]

The bulk of Wainwright Bank and Trust Co.'s commercial loan portfolio financed socially responsible community development projects. [12]

Wainwright made substantial commitments to environmental sustainability in its infrastructure as well as its products. The last two of its 12 branches - Coolidge Corner [13] and Newton [14] received Silver and Gold certifications respectively under the LEED certification system that measures how well a building or community performed across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. [15] In 2008 Wainwright sited its 12th branch in the Dorchester, MA Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) building adjacent to the MBTA’s Ashmont Red Line Station in Dorchester. [16]

Wainwright Bank’s Green Loan was first offered in 2001, and provides a discounted home equity loan rate for energy efficient home improvements including the installation of solar panels, passive heating systems, green roofs, wind energy and more. [17]

Internally, the Bank had management practices that have been lauded nationally as among the most progressive. Diversity was reflected in the 22 languages spoken by employees; it was "one of the most diverse boards of any commercial bank in the country with women or minorities comprising close to 40% of the directors. Over 50% of officers were women, approximately 10% of employees were openly gay or lesbian, including two senior vice presidents, and minorities comprised over 33% of its employee base." [18]

History

The bank was founded on 28 July 1987 by John Plukas and Robert Glassman and opened public stock sales nine months later, on 13 October 1988.

In 1989, the bank inaugurated a Social Justice Award "to recognize nonprofits and affiliated individuals who have achieved outstanding success in addressing issues of social justice." Recipients of the award are given a grant of $10,000.

By 1989, the bank posted a profit of $1,300,000.

In 1994 Wainwright offered same-sex medical benefits to employees. [10]

In 1997 Wainwright purchased a 30% interest in Trillium Assets Management Inc., the oldest and largest independent investment management firm in the U.S. exclusively devoted to socially responsible investing. [19] That year Wainwright also publicly supported the NOW Women Friendly Workplace Pledge National Organization for Women. [20] [9] In 1997, the bank received the first of 10 awards to date from the US Treasury Community Development financial institutions fund – known as the Bank Enterprise Cash Award (BEA) [21] followed by awards in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. The Bank Enterprise Award Program was created in 1994 to support Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured financial institutions around the country that are dedicated to financing and supporting community and economic development activities. In 1998, Business Ethics cited it in its annual awards "for dedication to social justice, internally and externally." In 2006, Business Ethics again cited Wainwright, ranking it 18th of "100 best corporate citizens", stating that it had provided more than $400 million in loans to development projects such as affordable housing and homeless shelters. In 2007, the same magazine ranked it 38th.

In 1998, Wainwright become a signatory to CERES, "a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change." [22]

In 1999, Wainwright’s CommunityRoom.net was launched to provide free web pages to any nonprofit client of the bank and the ability to accept online donations. [12]

In 2003, the Community Investing Campaign commended Wainwright for its "building of economic opportunity and hope for individuals through community investing" and for granting the Silent Spring Institute a line of credit for breast cancer research.

On November 15, 2004 KLD Research & Analytics, Inc., an independent investment research firm, announced that Wainwright Bank & Trust Company had been added to KLD's Domini 400 SocialSM Index (DS 400 Index). [23]

2006 - Wainwright offered the Equal Exchange Certificate of Deposit the first "branded CD" in partnership with the Fair Trade coffee and chocolate cooperative company. [24]

2008 – Wainwright received an “outstanding” rating for its 2008 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation [25] On 18 November 2008, the bank announced that it had received a $25,000,000 allocation, jointly with Affirmative Investments of Boston, under the New Markets Tax Credits programme. The allocation was awarded, in the sixth round, to provide financing for projects in four "highly distressed" Boston neighbourhoods — Hyde Park, Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury.

In 2010, the bank was acquired for $163 million by Eastern Bank. Wainwright branches, staff and community involvement were absorbed by Eastern Bank, and the Wainwright name was dropped. [26] [27] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorchester, Boston</span> Neighborhood of Boston in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States

Dorchester is a neighborhood comprising more than 6 square miles (16 km2) in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, England, to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This dissolved municipality, Boston's largest neighborhood by far, is often divided by city planners in order to create two planning areas roughly equivalent in size and population to other Boston neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Reserve Bank Building (Boston)</span> Office building in Massachusetts, United States

The Federal Reserve Bank Building is the seventh tallest building in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at Dewey Square, on the convergence of Fort Point and the Financial District neighborhoods. In close proximity to the Boston Harbor, the Fort Point Channel and major intermodal South Station terminal, the building is marked by a distinctive opening near ground level which allows sea breezes to pass through.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ping An Insurance</span> Chinese insurance company

Ping An Insurance known also as Ping An of China, full name Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. is a Chinese financial services holding company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, banking, asset management, financial services. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Shenzhen. "Ping An" literally means "safe and well". It is ranked as China’s 6th largest company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattapan</span> Neighborhood of Boston officially a part of Dorchester. in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Mattapan is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Mattapan is the original Native American name for the Dorchester area, possibly meaning "a place to sit." At the 2010 census, it had a population of 36,480, with the majority of its population immigrants.

A community development financial institution (US) or community development finance institution (UK) - abbreviated in both cases to CDFI - is a financial institution that provides credit and financial services to underserved markets and populations, primarily in the USA but also in the UK. A CDFI may be a community development bank, a community development credit union (CDCU), a community development loan fund (CDLF), a community development venture capital fund (CDVC), a microenterprise development loan fund, or a community development corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songdo</span> International Business District in Seoul Capital Area, South Korea

Songdo (Korean: 송도), officially known as Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD), is a smart city built on 600 ha (1,500 acres) of reclaimed land along Incheon's waterfront, 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Seoul, South Korea. It is connected to Incheon International Airport by a 12.3 km (7.6 mi) reinforced concrete highway bridge called Incheon Bridge. Along with Yeongjong and Cheongna, it is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LEED</span> Standard for green building design

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Green Building Council</span> American non-profit organization

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. USGBC was one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Green Building Council</span>

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) was created in 2003 to further the expansion of green building in Canada. Prior to the formation of the Council, Canada had participated in the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) through British Columbia's membership in the USGBC's Cascadia Chapter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ShoreBank</span> Community development bank (1973–2010)

ShoreBank was a community development bank founded and headquartered in Chicago. At the time of its closing it was the oldest and largest such institution, and in 2008 had $2.6 billion in assets. It was owned by ShoreBank Corporation, a regulated bank holding company.

First Niagara Bank was a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured regional banking corporation headquartered in Buffalo, New York. Its parent company, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. was the 44th-largest bank in the United States with assets of over $37.1 billion as of June 30, 2013.

IndusInd Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was inaugurated in April 1994 by then Union Finance Minister Manmohan Singh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Cambridge Public Library (CPL) in Cambridge, Massachusetts consists of a unified city-wide system maintaining: a main branch, of notable aesthetic architectural value, plus a further six localized branches sited throughout the city. Having evolved from the Cambridge Athenaeum, the main library branch was built at its present site in 1888. The main library most recently underwent renovation, and a modern building addition significantly expanded the overall branch in 2009. Thus, it greatly increased the branch's area, more than tripling its square footage.

This article provides examples of green building programs in the United States. These programs span the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and all have the goal of increasing energy efficiency and the sustainability of the built environment.

In historic preservation, sustainable preservation is the idea that preservation has tangible ecological benefits, on the basis that the most sustainable building is one that is already built. Historic buildings can have advantages over new construction with their often central location, historic building materials, and unique characteristics of craftsmanship. Arguing for these connections is at least partially an outgrowth of the green building movement with its emphasis on new construction. Sustainable preservation borrows many of the same principles of sustainable architecture, though is unique by focusing on older buildings versus new construction. The term "sustainable preservation" is also utilized to refer to the preservation of global heritage, archaeological and historic sites through the creation of economically sustainable businesses which support such preservation, such as the Sustainable Preservation Initiative and the Global Heritage Fund.

Eastern Bank is a bank based in Boston, Massachusetts. Before de-mutualizing in 2020, it was the oldest and largest mutual bank in the United States and the largest community bank in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koning Eizenberg Architecture</span> Architectural firm located in Santa Monica, California, United States

Koning Eizenberg Architecture (KEA) is an architecture firm located in Santa Monica, California established in 1981. The firm is recognized for a range of project types including: adaptive reuse of historic buildings, educational facilities, community places, and housing. Principals Hank Koning, Julie Eizenberg, Brian Lane, and Nathan Bishop work collaboratively with developers, cities and not-for-profit clients. Their work has been published extensively both in the US and abroad, and has earned over 200 awards for design, sustainability and historic preservation.

AccessBank is a bank headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan, that operates as a financial institution within the banking sector of the country. It has a network of over 32 branches across Azerbaijan, offering various banking services to individuals and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier Street Health Center</span> Health center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Whittier Street Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care and support services to primarily low-income, racially and ethnically diverse populations mostly from the Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and the South End neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elyse Cherry</span> American community development financial institution executive

Elyse Cherry is the chief executive of BlueHub Capital, a community development financial institution. She is known for her work in community development, affordable housing, and LGBTQ activism.

References

  1. ↑ "Bank Director Magazine - Rebel with a Cause". Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  2. ↑ "Patricia Aburdene - author of Conscious Money and Megatrends, speaker on corporate transformation and conscious capitalism". www.patriciaaburdene.com.
  3. ↑ "Book Details".
  4. ↑ "Executive Soul : The Soul of a Leader". Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  5. ↑ http://www.wainwrightbank.com/html/about/news/news/articles/2010/GayBankBought.html [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Wallack, Todd (30 June 2010). "Eastern Bank to buy Wainwright". Boston.com– via The Boston Globe.
  7. ↑ "Holding true to bank's legacy". Boston Business Journal. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "Congress.gov - Library of Congress". thomas.loc.gov. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Boston Now
  10. 1 2 "Partners Task Force - Private Employment Benefits". www.buddybuddy.com.
  11. ↑ Public disclosure Archived 2009-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 "Glassman's Formula: Social Responsibility and Clean Credit - 11.30.2007 - American Banker Article". Archived from the original on 2008-11-15. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  13. ↑ "Wainwright Bank Coolidge Corner Branch". usgbc.org. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "LEED for Commercial Interiors v2.0". usgbc.org. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "LEED - USGBC". www.usgbc.org.
  16. ↑ "Mayor Celebrates Five New Businesses, Completion of Carruth Building - City of Boston". cityofboston.gov.
  17. ↑ "SocialFunds.com: Socially Responsible Investing News and Information". www.socialfunds.com.
  18. ↑ "The Center for Collaborative Leadership - University of Massachusetts Boston" (PDF). www.leaders.umb.edu.
  19. ↑ "About Us | Trillium Asset Management".
  20. ↑ "Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign Employer's Pledge". Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  21. ↑ http://www.cdfifund.gov/awardees/db/profile.asp?controlNumber=081BE0076533 [ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Homepage". Ceres.
  23. ↑ "ESG Integration - MSCI".
  24. ↑ "Wainwright Bank and Equal Exchange Partner to Offer the First Branded Certificate of Deposit". www.socialfunds.com.
  25. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ↑ http://www.wainwrightbank.com/html/about/news/news/articles/2010/GayBankBought.html [ dead link ]
  27. ↑ Wallack, Todd (30 June 2010). "Eastern Bank to buy Wainwright". Boston.com– via The Boston Globe.
  28. ↑ "Holding true to bank's legacy". Boston Business Journal. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.