Independent Banker - September 2021 - 50

know, that community kind of
hung together. "
All told, the wildfire burned nearly
380,000 acres and destroyed more
than 850 structures. No one was
killed, thanks to the National Guard
and first responders, who airlifted
hundreds of campers and residents to
safety. Its cause is still unknown.
in the U.S., according to NASA-
stretched roughly nine miles high,
resembling the plume of an atomic
blast. Winds dispersed the cloud's
embers, spreading the fire farther.
Residents and clients, including
several Central Valley Community
Bank employees, were forced
to evacuate their homes, so the
community bank immediately held an
internal donation drive to put staff up
in hotels. Local banking centers down
the hill also gave out water to first
responders and handed out fire relief
kits to residents. During the holiday
season, the bank hosted a gift drive
with local businesses to spread cheer
among affected families.
" We had clients that just couldn't
believe how much support they got,
not only from our bank but from the
entire mountainside, " Ford says. " You
Growing back from the roots
To help the region rebuild, Central
Valley Community Bank launched
the CVCB Central Sierra Resiliency
Fund within the nonprofit Museum
of the Sierra. The community bank
kicked off a fundraising campaign
with a $25,000 donation, which was
matched by the Federal Home Loan
Bank of San Francisco. Donations
from the public and businesses
brought the fundraising to $83,000.
The efforts are helping to fund the
reconstruction of property and replant
decimated forests to revitalize the
mountain economy. " [Reforestation]
is really important, " Ford says.
" Right now, it's predominantly
being done in areas where people
live. " Local officials plan to plant
tens of thousands of seedlings this
fall and next spring, and Central
Valley Community Bank will support
continued replanting, he adds.
" What we wanted to do was not
just write a check and walk away, " he
says. " We wanted to do something
that engaged not only [a financial
need] but also the people and make
it a community activity. If you think
about our mission, it's taking care of
the communities that we're in. "
From a credit perspective, helping
a community rebuild after a wildfire
is complicated. Many homeowners
will simply reconstruct their homes
via insurance or cash. For others,
Central Valley Community Bank offers
single-family construction financing,
a lengthy process that involves
clearing debris and waiting on federal
and local government groups. The
community bank is offering lower
interest rates to families who choose
50 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q September 2021
" We had clients
that just couldn't
believe how much
support they got,
not only from our
bank but the entire
mountainside.
You know, that
community kind of
hung together. "
-JIM FORD, CENTRAL VALLEY
COMMUNITY BANK
this option. Ford says the bank also
plans to work with local businesses
that choose to rebuild above and
beyond what their insurance policies
are able to cover. Most importantly,
he adds, the bank will be there when
locals need it.
In June, Central Valley Community
Bank finished its own reconstruction
project, the major overhaul of its
original Prather branch location. The
community bank planned to rebuild
the office, originally opened 34 years
ago in a strip mall in the heart of
the 1,700-person town, prior to the
Creek Fire. While the branch wasn't
damaged in the fire, it was completely
redone. The bank only kept the vault.
" With the folks I've talked to up
there ... they were just so happy that,
one, the bank was there and, two,
that we were rebuilding a brand-new
banking center, because it meant that
we were going to be there for a while, "
Ford says. " They feel like they're going
to have a partner there for a long,
long time. "
Eric Best is deputy editor of
Independent Banker.
Independent Banker - September 2021

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