Sawyer Savings Bank Announces promotion of Jennifer Alnwick to Vice President, Commercial Lending

Jennifer Alnwick, VP Commercial Lending
Jennifer Alnwick, VP Commercial Lending

Sawyer Savings Bank is pleased to announce that Jennifer Alnwick has recently been promoted to the position of Vice President, Commercial Lending.

“Jennifer has been an important asset for our team since she joined Sawyer Savings Bank,” said James Whitaker, President. “Working with her over the last year, I’ve developed tremendous respect and trust for her judgment, professionalism, and ability to build and grow the Bank’s commercial lending capabilities. She has proven to be a dynamic leader and in this new role, she will expand upon the excellent work she’s already done shaping the future of lending at our bank.”

Jennifer joined Sawyer Savings as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer in 2022.  She has over 25 years of experience in business banking and commercial lending. In her new role, Jennifer will be responsible for overseeing commercial lending opportunities as well as developing business banking relationships with local businesses in the Hudson Valley.

“I look forward to continuing the legacy we’ve created and our mission of making a difference in the communities we serve through strategic growth and innovation of our lending programs,” said Ms Alnwick. “ I am excited about the opportunity to build on the already strong foundation that Sawyer Savings Bank has with the businesses in the Hudson Valley and help both the bank and the clients we serve continue to grow and succeed.”

Ms Alnwick, who earned a Master’s Degree from Marist College, is an active member of the community. She serves on the board of directors for the Ulster County Chamber Foundation, a graduate of Ulster Leadership Institute, and a 2023 Honoree of the Ulster United Way’s Annual Celebration of HOPE award. Jennifer lives in Hyde Park with her husband and four children.

Her office is located at 85 Market Street, Saugerties, NY and she can be reached at 845-217-6051 or jalnwick@sawyersavings.bank.

Sawyer Savings Bank Promotes Jennifer Gutheil-Denier, CFMP to Senior Vice President

Jennifer Gutheil-Denier, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Customer Experience Officer
Jennifer Gutheil-Denier, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Experience Officer

Sawyer Savings Bank is pleased to announce that Jennifer Gutheil-Denier has been promoted to the Senior Management team as Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Experience Officer. With over two decades of experience in the banking and financial services industry, Jenn has been employed with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2009 where she has previously held the positions of AVP Branch Manager and VP Customer Experience Officer.

“Jenn has played an instrumental role in leading our strategic direction, brand evolution and product management,” said James Whitaker, President. “Her wealth of banking knowledge, extensive marketing experience, paired with her tireless efforts to drive customer experience, innovation, and collaboration made her promotion a natural fit for this critical senior management position.”

In this new role, Ms. Gutheil-Denier will develop a holistic growth strategy for the bank through leveraging customer insights, data analytics, and industry metrics and evaluate banking products and services to create a positive customer experience. She will also oversee market expansion strategies, product and digital initiatives, monitoring and communicating consistent brand deployment, and loan service activities. Jenn will continue to coordinate top-level branch operations and manage the Marketing Division.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Sawyer Savings Bank’s strategic marketing initiatives,” said Gutheil-Denier. “I know our team will work diligently to support growth efforts by understanding our customers’ needs, creating transformational experiences, and identifying where we are poised for growth now and into the future.”

Jenn Gutheil-Denier is a graduate of Saugerties High School, SUNY Ulster, Ulster Leadership Development Institute (ULDI), and the American Bankers Association (ABA) School of Bank Marketing and Management with the CFMP designation. Jenn is an active member of the community and has previously been involved with local not for profits organizations such as Junior League of Kingston, the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce, Grant D Morse PTA, Saugerties Jr/Sr High School PTSA as well as other Saugerties Central School District community committees. She currently serves as Secretary for Sawyer Savings Charitable Foundation, a current member of Saugerties American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the committee for the Dutchess/Ulster County Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Ms. Gutheil-Denier resides in Saugerties with her husband and can be seen supporting and cheering on her two children at their various sporting events.

A message from the president

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.

James Whitaker, President
James Whitaker, President

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.

Sawyer Savings Bank Announces New Branch Location

New Platz Branch main entrance

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 James Whitaker, President. “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.

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.

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

Gabriel F. Sottile HeadshotJames P. WhitakerCynthia 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.

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