The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for the world and the global economy and the largest U.S. banks are committed to supporting customers, clients, and the nation.
Members of the Financial Services Forum have supported small businesses across the country throughout the pandemic, helping provide important resources during a challenging time for many business owners and their employees.
Throughout the pandemic, Forum members facilitated $94 billion in loans to nearly 1.25 million small businesses through the government Paycheck Protection Program. More than a quarter of these loans were made in low- and moderate-income communities and 91 percent of the PPP loans made by Forum members went to businesses with 20 or fewer employees.
Forum members have collectively committed billions of dollars to communities in need. This aid is helping organizations and governments increase medical response capacity, address food insecurity, increase access to education in the face of school closures, protect impacted small businesses and provide support to the vulnerable populations.
Financial support is being dispersed to a number of organizations and programs such as the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund, the CDC Foundation, No Kid Hungry, Feeding America, National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emergency Relief Fund, the International Medical Corps and many other community-specific groups.
Forum members have been supporting their customers in a variety of ways, including by providing fee waivers, payment deferrals, and other assistance to help customers in need, with no negative credit bureau reporting for up-to-date clients.
Another key way in which large banks are serving households is the provision of safe, secure deposit accounts.
People use deposit accounts as a safe store of value during uncertain times. With general economic uncertainty and an increase in market volatility, people are relying more on safe, liquid, bank deposits as they manage a variety of near-term risks.
As people demand a safe store of value for their hard-earned money, Forum members have provided this critical service. Forum members provide depositors with a range of online services to access their deposits remotely, which are all the more valuable as people practice social distancing.
Forum members are actively helping ensure the health and well-being of their more than 720,000 employees.
From special compensation awards, to additional time off, to counseling services, the nation’s largest banks have been taking significant steps to support their workforces.
Forum member institutions have been a key source of support for the economy during the pandemic. They have supported the economy in a number of important ways.
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