CEO’s Message

Dear Valued Sawyer Savings Bank Customers,

Sawyer Savings Bank has been monitoring very closely the situation unfolding with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank. Our operations are distinctly different than SVB and Signature Bank, making our financial health more resistant to volatility. We are a community bank with a capital position double the amount required by financial regulators.  Sawyer Savings manages its finances and risk in a more traditional and conservative manner keeping your deposits safe.

As a community bank:

  • Sawyer Savings Bank remains well-capitalized and well-positioned to continue to serve our customers and community.  We were chartered over 150 years ago and expect to serve this community for generations to come.
  • You have access to our experienced team, and we stand ready to assist you with any of your questions or concerns.
  • We take pride in our relationship-based business model that focuses on building long-term trust with our customers. After all, we live in your community and your success is our success.
  • Your deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (depending on your account titling structure, you may be covered above this limit). For customers who have questions about their FDIC Insurance coverage, we are ready and prepared to assist you to ensure your deposit insurance needs are met.

If you have questions about your coverage, or would like to learn more about FDIC insurance and how it works, we encourage you to call us directly or access the following resources:

Sawyer Savings Bank customers and the public should also be aware that scammers have already begun trying to alarm consumers. The scammers are claiming that a bank is under Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) review and the person needs to take out their cash from their bank or risk losing it. If you receive this call, please hang up and call us at 888-772-1871.

Through pandemics, recessions, and World Wars, we have applied diligence and responsibility in everything we do. Our doors are open, as they have been for over 150 years. If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by the recent crisis or are simply looking for safety and security, we welcome you to contact a member of the Sawyer Savings team at 888-772-1871.­

Thank you for your continued support.

Doug Sturges Headshot
Douglas Sturges, CEO

Effective January 6th, 2022 – Temporary Lobby Closures

Due to the upsurge in COVID cases in the communities we serve, we have decided to temporarily close our bank lobbies out of an abundance of caution.

In an effort to keep our customers and employees safe during this time of rising COVID cases, effective Thursday, January 6th, 2022 our Saugerties, Marlboro and Highland branch lobbies will be CLOSED temporarily. Our Drive-Up windows ARE AVAILABLE. We are sorry for this inconvenience and greatly appreciate your patience during this time.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause for our customers who prefer to do their banking in our lobbies. You may still arrange for in-lobby appointments for business that can’t be conducted at our drive-ups or ATMs. Just call your branch manager to schedule an in-person appointment.

View Hours / Locations

As always, remember that we have various electronic means of banking available to you. These means include: Online Banking, Mobile Banking with Remote Deposit with our Apps for personal or business, Zelle, Debit Cards and ATMs.

Please check back as we continue to update our customers regularly, via this news post and on our social media accounts.

C.E.O. Douglas Sturges of Sawyer Savings Bank Announces New Branch Location

New Platz Branch main entrance

Douglas Sturges, Chief Executive Officer of Sawyer Savings Bank, is pleased to announce the opening of it’s newest location at the Woodland Pond complex in New Paltz, New York. The anticipated opening date of the New Paltz branch will be at the end of July, 2021.

“We are very excited to be expanding our footprint into the dynamic community of Woodland Pond” said Sturges. “As a customer focused financial institution for over 150 years, we believe our core values and relationship-based philosophy will be a great addition to the area of New Paltz. I want to personally thank the New York State Department of Financial Services for their approval and look forward to providing our banking services to the residents and staff at Woodland Pond as well as the surrounding community.”

The Woodland Pond Branch will be open to the general public at 100 Woodland Pond Circle, New Paltz, NY 12561. Sawyer Savings Bank has three other locations in Saugerties, Highland, and Marlboro. To learn more, visit SawyerSavings.Bank or call 888-772-1871.

Photo courtesy of Woodland Pond

Retirements and Promotions at Sawyer Savings Bank

We want to extend our congratulations to Gabriel F. Sottile and Cynthia L. Saporito on their retirements from Sawyer Savings Bank, effective December 31, 2020.

Mr. Sottile has retired as the Chief Operating Officer and will remain Chairman of the Board of trustees.  Gabe was elected to the board of trustees In 1999.  He joined the bank in 1978 serving in several capacities, including Internal Auditor, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, before his election to President in 1998.

Mrs. Saporito has retired as Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at Sawyer Savings Bank. Cindy began her employment with Sawyer Savings Bank in 1986. During her career she has held numerous positions, including Internal Auditor, Mortgage Officer, Compliance Officer, and Marketing Officer. She also was the first female to gain an executive position. She was named to the Board of Trustees in January 2019.

In addition to the well-deserved retirements, Sawyer Savings Bank has also announced several promotions effective January 1, 2020.

Douglas P. Sturges has been elected as Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O). He previously served as the bank’s President and Sr. Vice-President & CFO. Sturges joined Sawyer Savings Bank in 1998.

James P. Whitaker has been elected as President. Whitaker also retains the position of Chief Information Security Officer (C.I.S.O). Whitaker has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2000 and previously held the position of Executive Vice-President and IT Officer.

Brian C. Fay has been elected as Sr. Vice-President, Finance/ IT and Chief Financial Officer. Fay has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2019.

Christen R. Padilla has been promoted to the position of Assistant Vice-President of Residential Lending and Loan Servicing. Padilla has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2008 and has previously held the positions of Assistant Vice-President- Finance and IT.

Finally, we congratulate Ernest Schirmer, who in addition to his duties as an IT Specialist and Facilities Manager, will take on the role of the Banks Security Officer.

Presidents Message, November 23, 2020

Dear Valued Customers & Community Members,

At Sawyer Savings Bank, our goal over these past few months has been to provide a safe environment, while providing essential and exceptional financial services to our members.

It has been a time like no other and we, like you, have had to do things in ways that were never done before.

As always, our first priority is to ensure our staff remains healthy in order to continue to serve the needs of our customers and communities. As the number of COVID-19 cases across our Hudson Valley area continues to rise, we have decided to restrict access to our branch lobbies effective Monday, November 23, 2020. Our drive ups will remain open during normal business hours.

These temporary changes are being made out of an abundance of caution as preventative measures to decrease the number of people interacting within our branches and create greater social distance between our teams and customers, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health guidelines from both State and National governmental agencies regarding the pandemic.

“The safety and security of our customers and staff remains our number one priority,” said Doug Sturges, President. “In light of the increasing number of COVID cases across our area, we wanted to do our part to help slow the spread by temporarily moving to drive-up service and our fast track banking depository. We apologize to our customers for any inconveniences this may cause, but ensure you that our staff is ready to work with you as needed. You can also access your accounts through online banking, our mobile apps, and our network of ATM’s.”

Your trust in us over the past several months has not gone unnoticed and we are so grateful for your continued support. We are committed to providing you with financial assistance you need during these unusual times. And we will always be here for you, just has we have been for the past 150 years. We appreciate your business and your understanding and we recognize the adverse impact this is having on all of us. We will continue to communicate with you just as we’ve been doing throughout the last several months. Thank you for your flexibility as we do our part for the health and safety of our customers, staff, and community.

 

Doug Sturges,
President

Proud Banking Partner for Central Hudson’s Back to Business Funding Program

we're open sign

Central Hudson LogoSawyer Savings is pleased to be a community banking partner for Central Hudson’s Back to Business funding program. Central Hudson is committing up to $1 million in economic development support to provide local small businesses with grants to help pay down new working capital loans taken with participating local banks, like Sawyer Savings. This program is intended to assist small businesses in continuing operations or reopening when the economy is restarted.

Click here to read the official press release.

Click Here for the CH Grant Application (PDF)

Click Here for the SSB Loan Application (PDF)

Sawyer Savings Bank Announces changes to Senior Management and Board of Trustees

Sawyer Savings Bank Announces changes to Senior Management and Board of Trustees

Douglas P. Sturges Headshot Gabriel F. Sottile Headshot

James P. Whitaker Cynthia Saporito

Sawyer Savings Bank, in business since 1871, is proud to share news of the following changes to Senior Management and to the Board of Trustees as of January 1, 2019.

With leadership capability and the importance of continuity across every aspect of the bank’s service, we announce the naming of Douglas P. Sturges as the new President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Mr. Sturges has worked at Sawyer Savings as Chief Financial Officer for over 20 years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Siena College in 1984 as an Accounting major and obtained a Master’s Degree in Banking from Louisiana State University in 2006. He is a CPA and a member of both the AIPCA and NYSSCPA.

Mr. Sturges and his wife live in Saugerties and enjoy the community immensely. He looks forward to continuing to work with the dedicated staff at Sawyer Savings and to grow the Bank in the years ahead.

Gabriel F. Sottile has stepped down as President of Sawyer Savings and remains Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board. Mr. Sottile’s 40-year tenure has included posts from Auditor to AVP, VP, EVP, President and Trustee, as well as his current positions.

Mr. Sottile is and has been an active member of the Hudson Valley Community, serving as Chairman of the Board for Benedictine Hospital and continuing as Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee for Ulster County Community College.

James P. Whitaker has been appointed Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Sawyer Savings. He has held positions with the bank in customer service, underwriting for commercial loans, IT and more for over 18 years. He has an Associates’ Degree from UCCC.

Mr. Whitaker is a lifelong resident of Saugerties and graduated from Saugerties High School. He is a member of both the Sons of the American Legion and the Kiwanis Club where he serves on numerous committees.

Cynthia Saporito, currently Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has been elected to the Sawyer Savings Board of Trustees. Over the past 33 years, she has held positions as an Internal Auditor, AVP Lending, VP of Operations, CRA and Compliance Officer prior to her becoming SVP and COO in 2005. She is a graduate of SUNY Ulster and Marist College with a BS in Business.

Ms. Saporito is a resident of Saugerties who serves on the Board of the Saugerties Public Library and is a member of the Kiwanis Club. She was also on the Board of the Kingston Boys & Girls Club for over 10 years.

DON’T GET SCAMMED!

You may have heard about people who are “hired” to be “mystery (or) secret shoppers”.  The shopper receives a check with instructions to deposit it in a personal bank account, withdraw the amount in cash, and wire (or send) it to a third party. The scam is that the check is a fake…It may seem that the check has cleared and that the money has posted to the account, but when the check turns out to be a fake, the person who deposited the check and wired the money will be responsible for paying back the bank. It is never a good idea to deposit a check from someone you don’t know.

TIPS to keep yourself safe:

1) Scammers like using names of well-known companies to gain your trust, so do your research;

2) You do not have to pay to get into the “mystery shopper” business;

3) NEVER deposit a check from someone you do not know;

4) NEVER give personal financial information online.

Click here to learn more