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Committed to the Community
As Fulton Bank continues to integrate Republic Bank’s assets, deposits and customers into its fold, its team is determined to make the transition as smooth as possible for its newest clients.

by Madeleine Maccar

 It takes a community bank to understand what a community needs, a reality that the Fulton Bank team keenly understands and appreciates—after all, they live and work here, too. 

“I spent much of my banking career working in New Jersey, including leading the Fulton Bank team here. I live in South Jersey, so I truly consider the businesses and families we serve here to be my neighbors,” says Angela Snyder, Fulton Bank president.

So at the beginning of Republic Bank’s integration into the Fulton family earlier this year, the latter wasn’t just on top of managing the growth that doubled its regional presence: It also prioritized ensuring that Republic’s clients—and employees—got the full benefit of being aligned with Fulton without missing a beat. 

“Fulton Bank and Republic Bank share a commitment to customer service, and that is central to ensuring a smooth transition,” notes JoBeth Mauriello, who, along with her colleague Jeff Rush, was named Fulton’s co-market president ahead of the integration process, right in time for her 40th year of working in the banking industry. “When we first re-opened Republic Bank locations as part of Fulton Bank, we had ambassadors from our team at each location, offering support to our newest employees and customers. Moreover, our new colleagues from Republic Bank know their customers and have strong relationships in the community. We’ve partnered in proactive outreach efforts to understand and meet the needs of customers during this transition.”

As the integration process continues, so too does Fulton’s hands-on support of Republic Bank’s previous clients. 

“We’re still operating using different systems because it takes time to plan and complete the systems integration—so, for now, customers who’ve joined us from Republic Bank should continue banking as they always have, at former Republic locations,” Mauriello explains. “Later this year, we plan to complete a systems integration and at that point, they’ll be able to conduct banking at any of Fulton Bank’s more than 200 financial centers across the Mid-Atlantic region. Where possible, we are making additional services available even sooner: For example, customers who joined us from Republic Bank can already use any Fulton Bank ATM without incurring foreign ATM fees.”

Beyond the front lines of delivering impeccable customer service, the integration also includes Fulton’s acquisition of Republic Bank’s assets and its deposits from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). 

“After being appointed as the receiver for Republic First Bank (doing business as Republic Bank), the [FDIC] entered into an agreement with Fulton Bank to assume substantially all of the deposits and purchase substantially all of the assets of Republic Bank,” begins Snyder. “We have been working with the FDIC to ensure that the transition to Fulton Bank is as smooth as possible for customers and employees. This is a transaction unlike any other: You don’t get as much lead time as you would in a traditional acquisition. The team has been doing an excellent job navigating the situation.”

“My role is to oversee the transition and ensure a smooth integration, engaging our customers and employees in the South Jersey, Greater Philadelphia and New York markets,” Mauriello adds. “Most of my career has been in South Jersey, which has provided me with intimate knowledge of the local communities, businesses and their owners. This is a people-focused business and as a leader, my passion is for cultivating strong leadership and fostering a supportive environment for our team so that they are equipped to deliver exceptional service to our customers. I am particularly excited about the opportunity to introduce our customers to Fulton Bank, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to their financial wellness and reinforcing our support for the communities I call home.”

Indeed, it’s not just those directly within the Fulton family who benefit from the financial institution’s people-first philosophy. As part of this transition, Fulton Bank will make a $5 million donation to the Fulton Forward Foundation, an independent nonprofit private foundation funded by the bank. 

That monetary gift is intended to help provide grants to the region’s nonprofit community organizations demonstrating their shared dedication to Fulton’s vision of helping its neighbors realize the dream of economic empowerment, especially those living in historically underserved communities. Snyder describes the Fulton Forward Foundation’s four pillars as advancing affordable housing and home ownership, job training and workforce development, financial education, and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives.

“Fulton Bank’s purpose is to change lives for the better: We work to do that every day by providing financial products and services, and by serving as trusted advisors to our customers,” she affirms. “As a purpose-driven community bank, we recognize that in order for communities to thrive, everyone needs to have access to opportunities and resources that can help them succeed.”

 

Fulton Bank
Serving South Jersey
(800) FULTON-4

FultonBank.com

Fulton Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.