Bank On Louisville celebrates First Financial Bank's national certification for new safe, affordable consumer account
Bank On Louisville is proud to announce that First Financial Bank’s NoWorry Checking account has been officially certified by the national Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards (2021 - 2022), and is available to residents of Louisville.
The National Safe Account Standards, co-created by consumer advocates, leading national nonprofit organizations, civic leaders, and other financial institutions, designate core and strongly recommended features that ensure low cost, high functionality, and consumer safety.
Bank On Louisville works with various financial institutions, community organizations, local government leaders, and federal regulators to connect Louisville residents to safe, affordable, and productive banking accounts.
First Financial Bank’s certification brings to nine the number of institutions offering certified accounts in the Louisville area.
“Bank On Louisville applauds the commitment and dedication of First Financial Bank to contribute to the creation of an inclusive financial landscape for our Louisville residents,” said Erin Waddell, Policy and Advocacy Manager for Louisville Metro Government, and Co-Chair of Bank On Louisville. “First Financial’s NoWorry Checking account further increases the access and opportunities for all residents to be safely included and connected to mainstream financial services – and ultimately supports the financial health of those residents. As a coalition, Bank On Louisville will enthusiastically work to connect residents to this safe and affordable account.”
Key features of the NoWorry Checking account include no overdraft or nonsufficient fund fees, the ability to pay bills and make purchases, and federal deposit insurance. The account includes a $5 monthly service fee. NoWorry Checking is available in First Financial‘s branches across the region, including in Louisville.
“First Financial’s NoWorry account exemplifies our commitment to help communities thrive, because it improves access to banking for people who may be outside of the mainstream financial system or otherwise unable to open a bank account,” said Archie Brown, President and CEO, First Financial Bank. “A bank account is critical to help individuals improve their financial well-being. Bank On certification demonstrates First Financial’s intention to offer our clients accounts that will help them move forward toward a better financial future.”
“Bank On Louisville is doing critical work to help Louisville residents enter the financial mainstream – this is especially important during COVID-19, as consumers need to access and manage their money both affordably and safely,” said David Rothstein, Senior Principal at the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, which leads the national Bank On movement, supporting over 90 local and state coalitions across the country working to connect individuals and families to the financial mainstream through partnerships between governments, financial institutions, and community organizations.
“NoWorry Checking offers Louisville residents an affordable, no-surprise-fee account that allows people to get direct deposit of income and benefits (like stimulus or unemployment), and then spend their money on bills and other expenses safely,” Rothstein said. “First Financial‘s offering of this terrific account brings them into the forefront of national banking access efforts, and we thank them.”
With the addition of the NoWorry Checking, accounts that meet Bank On National Account Standards are now available at over 39,000 branches in all 50 states and Washington, DC; financial institutions with Bank On certified accounts already comprise over 52% of the national deposit market share. In addition to NoWorry Checking, more than 160 other Bank On certified accounts are available across the country, including nine in the Louisville area.
Data collected by the CFE Fund in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis through Bank On’s national reporting platform shows that these accounts are meeting consumers’ needs; since their offering, millions of consumers have opened Bank On certified accounts, with approximately three quarters of them opened by consumers new to the financial institutions.
To learn more about Bank On and the National Account Standards click here, or follow the conversation on Twitter @CFEfund #BankOn.
About Bank On Louisville
Launched in 2010, Bank On Louisville is a collaborative partnership among local government, financial institutions and community organizations that work to improve the financial stability of unbanked and underbanked residents in our Louisville community. To date, Bank On Louisville has helped connect more than 43,000 residents to safe and affordable bank accounts and connected more than 25,500 residents to quality financial education. Visit www.bankonlouisville.org for more information.
About First Financial Bancorp.
First Financial Bancorp. is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company. As of September 30, 2021, the Company had $16.0 billion in assets, $9.4 billion in loans, $12.7 billion in deposits and $2.2 billion in shareholders’ equity. The Company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its six lines of business: Commercial, Retail Banking, Investment Commercial Real Estate, Mortgage Banking, Commercial Finance and Wealth Management. These business units provide traditional banking services to business and retail clients. Wealth Management provides wealth planning, portfolio management, trust and estate, brokerage and retirement plan services and had approximately $3.2 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2021. The Company operated 139 full-service banking centers as of September 30, 2021, primarily in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, while the Commercial Finance business lends into targeted industry verticals on a nationwide basis. Additional information about the Company, including its products, services and banking locations, is available at www.bankatfirst.com.
About the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund)
The CFE Fund supports municipal efforts to improve the financial stability of households by leveraging opportunities unique to local government. By translating cutting edge experience with large scale programs, research, and policy in cities of all sizes, the CFE Fund assists mayors and other local leaders to identify, develop, fund, implement, and research pilots and programs that help families build assets and make the most of their financial resources. The CFE Fund is currently working in over 100 cities and counties and has disbursed over $52 million to local governments and their partners to support these efforts. For more information, please visit www.cfefund.org or follow us on Twitter at @CFEFund.
About Bank On
Bank On coalitions are locally led partnerships between local public officials; city, state, and federal government agencies; financial institutions; and community organizations that work together to help improve the financial stability of unbanked and underbanked individuals and families in their communities. The Bank On national initiative builds on a grassroots movement of over 90 coalitions in communities across the country, offering National Account Standards, capacity grant support, pilot funding, and a learning community. In addition to connecting unbanked individuals to accounts, Bank On programs raise public awareness, target outreach to the unbanked, and expand access to financial education. Visit www.cfefund.org/bankon for more information, or follow the conversation on Twitter @CFEFund #BankOn.
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