Citizens Bank of Las Cruces

C I T I ZENS BANK OF LAS CRUCES meeting the needs of all of our customers. One of the recent additions to our product offerings has been what we call video banking. We have an ability for customers to download an app, and do things like update signature cards and open an account. You can do all the transactions you would do in person, remotely. That is an example of how our bank has tried to meet the expectations of customers and handle the needs of a diverse customer base.” In March of 2020, when COVID first began making an impact on communities, Citizens Bank reached out to customers, checking in on their health and wellbeing, and offering help to those who were struggling or worried about making loan payments. Tim Hargrove, Chief Credit & Lending Officer, recalls, “We immediately offered assistance in the way of additional financing, temporary interest only payments, or even payment deferrals to our customers. At the time we thought 90 to 120 days might be enough time to work through COVID related issues, but it lasted much longer.” The introduction of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) brought with it a level of chaos. As Hargrove recounts, “The SBA did a tremendous job of handling the amount of volume they did nationwide, but it was still a work in progress with changes and guidance issues on a daily basis.” With the bank providing more than 1,500 PPP loans, totaling $106MM, Hargrove adds, “It couldn’t have been done without the hard work of our team. It was impressive for us to see how all of our people stepped up. We were very concerned, being a small bank in relation to the number of banks in the U.S., about how much preference our customers were going to get for the PPP funds. It all worked out fine in the long run, but we operated in a very stressful environment for