Welcome to the GRBblog! Get to know GRB, Rochester's only locally owned and managed commercial bank. A commercial bank, but also a community bank, with an entrepreneurial spirit about everything we do. We're committed to Growing Rochester Business and making our community a better place to live and work.
The GRBblog is where we post bank news and information, stories about the great organizations we support, and share relevant local and national business news.
As a bank, GRB is able to work with the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) to provide grant assistance to qualified first-time homebuyers. The Homebuyer Dream ProgramTM provides grants of up to $15,000 towards the purchase of a home in New York. This is a program that is only available to banks, mortgage brokers are not able to access grant funds for this program.
Must be first-time homebuyers (have not owned a home individually or with a spouse in the last three years)
Reside and purchase a home in New York
Have a household income at or below 80% of area median income (i.e., in Monroe County up to $62,240 for 1- and 2-person households, up to $71,576 for 3+ person household as of August 2018)
Complete an accredited homeownership course
Meet the income and credit requirements for the program
Have the minimum equity contribution of $1,000 toward purchase of the home
Remain in the home for five years or repay a portion of the grant funds back to FHLBNY
Important information
Up to $14,500 in grant funding is available to be applied to down payment and closing costs
Up to $500 in grant funding is available to offset the cost of the homeownership course
Please note, the information in this post refers to the 2018 HDP. The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York assesses the HDP on an annual basis and the program is subject to change. Please go to our Mortgage Loans page for more information on this year’s HDP and other lending options.
* Homebuyer Dream Program is a trademark of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.
After being named to the 2019 class of the Women of Excellence, GRB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Allana Lazeroff also appeared on the front page of the Rochester Business Journal’s March 29 issue. The article focused on Women in Finance and offered a look at Allana’s career and experiences as she honed her leadership skills.
Allana’s 30-year career in finance has included experiences in human resources, retail and commercial banking and operations. With the last 11 years at Genesee Regional Bank, she has played an integral role in the bank’s growth from $100 million in assets to more than $560 million. Allana also served as a founding member and executive sponsor of GRB’s Women @ GRB group, dedicated to to helping “educate, celebrate, and inspire GRB Women to achieve their personal definition of success.”
In the article, Allana acknowledges sometimes “being the only women in the room,” but notes that diverse perspectives are necessary and that maintaining authenticity is crucial for women to be successful as leaders.
“…Diversity, regardless of the type of diversity, whether that’s gender, religion or race, allows a lot of different perspectives. The organization benefits when you have different perspectives represented.”
Genesee Regional Bank (GRB) is pleased to announce that Randy Cardon has joined the bank’s leadership team as Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer.
Randy, who has more than 30 years of commercial banking experience in the local Rochester market, will oversee the commercial loan administration and commercial credit teams at GRB. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from St. John Fisher and spent his career with the former Central Trust Company and M&T, most recently as Vice President, Credit Officer. Randy is an experienced small business and middle market lender and credit officer, working with customers from Rochester to the North Hudson Valley. He is active in the community, doing volunteer work for Foodlink and serving as a past board member on the Rochester chapters of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Randy to the GRB team. He is an exceptional banker who brings solid credit analysis, loan review, and special asset management experience to GRB,” said Philip L. Pecora, GRB’s President and CEO. “In the last decade, GRB has grown five-fold in total assets, adding hundreds of new commercial client relationships and more than 80 employees. It is time to bring additional leadership resources to the bank to support the growth we are experiencing throughout our commercial loan portfolio.”
Please join us in congratulating GRB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Allana Lazeroff on her selection to the 2019 class of Women of Excellence sponsored by the Rochester Business Journal.
Allana is a 25-year veteran of the banking industry and joined GRB in 2007. She is responsible for the bank’s operations, marketing, project management, and cash management teams. Allana graduated from the John Wiley School of Business at SUNY Geneseo, and earned the Certified Treasury Professional designation in 1999.
According to the RBJ, “The Women of Excellence awards identify high-achieving women for their tremendous career accomplishments. The women are selected based on their professional experience, community involvement, leadership and sustained commitment to mentoring.
“This year’s class, selected by a panel of past Circle of Excellence honorees, features 40 women from a variety of industries. They have achieved impressive career accomplishments and have made the Rochester community better through their civic engagement and mentoring.”
As phishing becomes a top cyber threat—with losses growing to nearly $30 million in 2017 from $8 million in 2015, according to the FBI—the American Bankers Association and the Federal Trade Commission today released a new infographic highlighting this growing problem.
Accoding to the ABA, phishing scams typically involves emails, texts or calls that come from seemingly trusted sources that attempt to trick victims into clicking a link or handing over personal information. Once a scammer has the information, they can use it to steal the victim’s money, identity or gain access to their computer.
The infographic provides tips for consumers on how to spot potential scams, how to protect themselves against phishing attempts and how to notify the proper authorities. “One of the best ways to combat phishing is to implement multi-factor authentication, which is a second step to verify you are you, like sending a text to your phone with a confirmation code,” said ABA SVP Paul Benda. “We encourage consumers to use MFA for any of their accounts that support it, especially email and financial accounts.”
If you have not had a chance to catch the recent podcast featuring GRB Founder and Chairman E. Philip Saunders and GRB President and CEO Philip Pecora, you need to grab 45 minutes and do so! Such great stories about the roots of their personal and professional commitment to the local small business community, and what we can all do to help the Rochester community grow and prosper.
“I’ve had many people that we’ve done business with (at the bank) that come to me and have actually thanked me. You did more than just become my banker…you’ve really helped me see my business in a different light. They’ve looked at us…like we’ve really helped them evolve into something else. That makes you feel good.”
GRB is pleased to offer our commercial business owners the opportunity to offer their employees a number of discounts on retail and mortgage banking services.
Our resident affinity banking specialist Laura Smith come to your place of business and help your employees learn about the additional products, services and discounts available to them through your business banking relationship with GRB.
GRB can provide your employees with:
Free financial education workshops
Discounts on residential mortgage closing costs
No-fee Health Savings Accounts
Interest-bearing checking accounts
And much more…
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to see how you can work together to offer your employees additional benefits.
Stacey MichaelsTuesday, February 19, 2019Uncategorized
Genesee Regional Bank held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-located Greece Branch on Friday, Feb. 15. With more space and additional features for our customers, we are pleased to be adding to our footprint in the Town of Greece. We were pleased to have a number of customers, associates and special guests available to help us celebrate. Thank you to the following for sharing in this wonderful event:
Sarah Lentini, our co-host and President and CEO of the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce
Joseph Robach, New York State Senator for the 56th District
Jeff Adair, Chief Economic Development Officer for Monroe County
Andy Conlon, Receiver of Taxes for the Town of Greece, representing Supervisor Bill Reilich
Kevin Donohue, Director of Membership for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
Stop by and visit us the next time you are in the area.
Greece Branch
4180 West Ridge Road
Rochester, NY 14626
See our social media channels for additional photos!
Stacey MichaelsWednesday, January 30, 2019GRB News
GRB is proud to announce that it has been recognized as one of the “Best Companies to Work for in New York 2019” by the NYS chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the small/medium size category. The 2019 award marks GRB’s sixth year on the “Best Companies” list.
Rankings in the annual program are chosen based on employee responses to the engagement and satisfaction survey, as well as the employer-provided benefits and policies questionnaire. The results are analyzed based on eight core focus areas:
Leadership and Planning
Corporate Culture and Communications
Role Satisfaction
Work Environment
Relationship with Supervisor
Training, Development and Resources
Pay and Benefits
Overall Engagement
It is no small feat to appear on this list year after year. So, to the members of the GRB team, a sincere thank you!
GRB is excited to share the news that its new Greece branch location is ready to serve you better! As of Monday, Jan. 28, the Greece Branch is located at:
4180 West Ridge Road
Just west of Kohl’s in The Shops at Hampton Ridge Plaza
We are pleased the new location will offer a number of significant benefits for our customers, including:
Two Drive-up Teller Lanes
24/7 Drive-up Night Depository
24/7 ATM in Vestibule
Offices for Added Privacy
Easier In and Out, Ample Parking
“GRB has experienced substantial growth in its retail, mortgage and commercial lines of business,” said Paul Keenan, Senior Vice President and Retail Banking Manager. “Our new location provides added convenience for our current customers and offers additional space so we can continue to grow all three lines of business.”
We will be conducting an official ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15.
