CITIZENS FINANCIAL BANK TEAMS WITH ACCION CHICAGO TO BRING LENDING TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN NORTHWEST INDIANA

NORTHWEST INDIANA – February 19, 2010 - Small businesses face many challenges in developing, from the idea phase to opening the business, but starting and maintaining a business in Northwest Indiana doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Small business lender ACCION Chicago is available to businesses in Northwest Indiana, targeting entrepreneurs who are usually overlooked by traditional banks.

Jason Rebar, Business Relationship Manager at Citizens Financial Bank in Highland, works in partnership with ACCION Chicago to help his clients build their business credit. “I am grateful to ACCION Chicago for financing my clients, and for giving Indiana entrepreneurs resources to establish themselves and grow.” Contact Jason by calling 219-513-5403.

ACCION Chicago works with small businesses across Chicagoland, including Lake and Porter counties in Indiana. The not-for-profit lender gives loans between $200 and $25,000 for small businesses to expand, hire new employees, and buy inventory. Julian Lemasters of Jazzie’s Salon & Day Spa in Gary, IN used a loan from ACCION to purchase new equipment after a move to a larger location. In 2009 Steven Vukobratovich of Highland, Indiana received an ACCION Chicago loan to get his Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning business off the ground. Of his experience with ACCION Chicago, he says “ACCION helped us. They understood our situation and now we can help more customers. It’s paying it forward.”

For more information on obtaining a small business loan, visit www.accionchicago.org or contact Priscilla Cordero at ACCION Chicago at 312-275-3000 ext. 104.

Citizens Financial Bank, a $1.1 billion dollar independent bank, serves the financial needs of individuals, families and businesses through its network of 23 Banking Centers located throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Citizens Financial Bank was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Munster, Indiana. wwww.mybankcitizens.com.