The Oakleaf

Tap. Sign Up. Make a Difference - an easy request that benefited so many. In early fall, Tompkins donated $5 dollars to our local United Way chapters for every new user that signed up for our digital banking service. The donation directly benefitted the United Way’s COVID Relief Fund to help our communities during this trying time.

Tompkins VIST Bank is pleased to welcome to its board of directors Helen Eaton, CEO of Settlement Music School of Philadelphia, one of the largest non-profit community schools of the arts in the United States.

We know a lot about small businesses and have always admired their ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Those qualities have especially been evident since March, when many companies have had to modify their operations to remain viable. And as their partners, we’ve been checking in with them more frequently than usual to let them know we have services that can help them through this difficult time.

Financial decisions can feel complex and hard even under normal circumstances. If the current market volatility has you questioning what are the “right” actions you should take now, you are not alone. Here are five concrete ways for you to jumpstart your financial wellness in the wake of the novel coronavirus. 

April is community banking month, a time when we traditionally celebrate what we believe makes our bank unique - our community focused approach and personalized experience. During more normal times, you would see our team out at volunteer events, serving on boards, and joining in at community events. This is what makes working with a local bank so unique – your banking partners are right here in the community alongside you as you go about your day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to do what we love has changed. We are all learning new ways for us to stay connected. But we remain focused on what matters most to us – the health and welfare of the communities that we are proud to be a part of.

The key to our success as a community bank is our employees. They’re the ones who build relationships with customers and keep us connected to our communities.  We want to pay a special thanks to these team members who have completed the following years of service with our company:

Didn’t make a resolution yet? How about making one that’s easy to keep, with Digital Wallet?! With our Tompkins Debit MasterCard now compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of its convenient features and the security it offers.

The New Year is a time for resolutions. A time to commit. A time to make a change.

This month is National Gratitude Month, and it’s very appropriate that Veteran’s Day falls during this time frame. We owe our freedom to the sacrifices made by our veterans throughout our history, and every year we have the opportunity to show our appreciation on November 11, the day Veteran’s Day began to mark the end of World War 1. We’ve continued to use this day to honor all of those who have served in our armed forces.

We would like to thank those in our community who served our country. We know that your service has had a deep impact on you as well as the lives of your family and friends. It also has become an important part of our nation’s history.
We at Tompkins VIST Bank are proud of our team members who are veterans, we would like to list those who have identified themselves as having served, who work in Southeastern PA.

•  Bill Bunch - Courier
• Yolanda Douglas- Fox Chase
• William Hinks – IT
• Frank Strunk –Commercial Lending
• Joe Shivick- Facilities
• Tim West- Tompkins Financial Advisors

Thank you all for your service to our country.

Tompkins VIST Bank’s 110th anniversary this year provided a good reason for the Exeter Branch on Perkiomen Avenue in Reading to host a chamber mixer recently. “Not every bank can say they’ve served the community for that long, so we wanted to highlight it,” said JJ Valerio, branch manager and vice president of Business Development. He added another reason: “We have a mission to make our office better known to businesses and consumers in Exeter Township.”

About 70 people attended the event, which was cohosted by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. “It is always a great opportunity to partner with the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance,” said JJ. The mixer, like all Tompkins VIST Bank events, supports the local community. In this case the fare and beverages were provided by Musso’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria and Pagoda Hill Vineyards, respectively. “We have a very tight knit business community, so we like to support local businesses,” he said.

Especially popular were real-time portraits of guests drawn by Courtney Sell, owner of Caricatures by Courtney. And each guest received a commemorative 110th anniversary mug. “Throughout our history, we’ve kept service to customers and our communities at the center of everything we do,” JJ said, adding that more activities are planned at the branch in the coming months.