First Federal of Greene County navigates interest rate changes, expands loan offerings
Current First Federal of Greene County President/CEO Charles W. Trump, Jr., past President/CEO and retired Board of Directors Chairman John E. Mariner, and immediate past President/CEO and Board of Directors Chairwoman Judi Goodwin Tanner
Sarah A. Westfall
Aimee D. Toothman
Brian E. Moody
WAYNESBURG, PA – During its annual meeting of members Jan. 25, First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greene County announced it had navigated the fluctuating interest rates of 2022 to end the year in a positive financial position.
At the beginning of 2022, the Association’s 30-year mortgage loan product carried a 3.05 percent interest rate; at year’s end, that rate had more than doubled to 6.2 percent. That represents an increase of more than 300 basis points in 12 months.
“Considering inflation reached a 40-year high, consumers felt the exorbitant increase in the cost of consumer goods, notably fuel, food and other necessities,” wrote Charles W. Trump, Jr., President/CEO of First Federal
of Greene County, in his annual President’s Report. “Each year brings its own unique and special challenges, and this past year was no exception.”
Despite inflation, rollercoaster interest rates and continued coronavirus recovery, First Federal of Greene County ended the year 2022 with $1.056 billion in assets, another record for the nearly 99-year-old institution.
Other financial highlights of 2022 included $910 million in deposits, and $111 million in loan closings, ending the year with a total of $656 million in the Association’s mortgage portfolio.
In 2023, customer service is driving the growth of First Federal of Greene County’s loan department in two key expansions.
Loan offerings will evolve this year to include a commercial lending department, built from the ground up, as well as the opening of an additional office in Bridgeport, W.Va., for the Association’s mortgage origination subsidiary, First Greene Mortgage. The Bridgeport office joins the Morgantown office in serving West Virginia home loan customers.
With customer service at the forefront of the Association’s values and product offerings, First Federal of Greene County continues to embrace new technology for the ease, convenience and security of its users.
“Technology continues to play a significant role in our evolution as a company and will remain an integral role in our business operations and plans for the future,” Trump noted in his President’s Report. “The Association is proud to have implemented and invested in multiple technological tools and services, while continuing to improve and enhance existing technologies.”
Last year saw a big change for the Association as it moved its website to the more secure .bank domain, relaunching its main site as www.ffgc.bank and obtaining a separate address for First Greene Mortgage at www.fgm.bank.
“The complete redesign and upgrades to our website, our mobile app, and the features and tools therein resulted in a more powerful way for our customers to connect with us and manage their day-today banking,” Trump said.
Also during its annual meeting, the Association’s Board of Directors recognized the retirement of Chairman John E. Mariner, who has served in that role since 2017. Mariner had been a Director since 2002 and was the Association’s President/CEO from 2008-2012.
The Board named Mariner a Director Emeritus and elected Judi Goodwin Tanner as Board Chairwoman.
Along with Tanner and Trump, the Board of Directors includes Gregory A. Parsons, Jay S. Hammers, Murray W. Hoy, Stephen M. Neubauer, Douglas A. Wilson and Michael C. Baily. Neubauer and Baily were re-elected to 3-year terms on the Board. Henry T. Cochran serves as a Director Emeritus.
The Board of Directors also approved the corporate officer title changes of Sarah A. Westfall to Assistant Vice President/ Assistant Secretary and Aimee D. Toothman to Assistant Vice President, and named Brian E. Moody to its slate of officers as Assistant Treasurer.
Joining First Federal of Greene County’s Uniontown office in 2017 as a loan officer, Moody will mark 20 years in banking this year. He previously worked as a branch manager and in business banking and consumer underwriting. Moody is currently the assistant branch manager and lending manager at the Association’s Uniontown office.
Born and raised in Point Marion, Moody moved to Headlee Heights in southeastern Greene County and graduated from Mapletown High School in 1995. He graduated from West Virginia University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a political science minor.
Moody and his wife, Jessica, live in Uniontown and have two sons, Nathaniel and Lucas.
Also during the Association’s annual meeting, Trump was re-elected President/CEO, and the following Association officers were once again elected: Chad M. Moore, Executive Vice President; Jeffrey B. Widdup, Vice President; Courtney A. Schroyer, Vice President/Chief Financial Officer; Kathleen M. Toth, Vice President/Secretary; Terry L. Clutter, Vice President/Treasurer; and Danielle R. Tobusto, Assistant Vice President.
Recapping the year 2022 would not be complete without acknowledging the death in July of former President/CEO and Board Chairman Scott S. O’Neil, who devoted nearly 50 years of his life to First Federal of Greene County.
“Scott served the Association with heart and distinction for many years,” Trump noted. “His passion for our Association, and for all of our area neighborhoods, was a very special aspect of Scott’s service, and his legacy will live on within our organization for years to come.”
O’Neil’s passion for his workplace and his community typifies the qualities that set First Federal’s employees apart.
“Our Association has been built on two pillars for the last 99 years – our employees and our customers,” Trump said. “Our customers and partners continually show their confidence in us by giving us their business and recommending us to others. We are grateful for that confidence and do all we can to continue to merit it.
“That confidence is possible thanks to our talented and dedicated employees, along with the trusted leadership and guidance of our Officers and Board of Directors,” Trump continued. “I pray that the year to come, and the many that follow, offer success and growth to our special and treasured Association.”
Since 1924, First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greene County has served the residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania through a combination of traditional deposit and loan products and evolving technological convenience. From checking and savings accounts to mortgage and home equity loans, from online bill pay to mobile banking, First Federal of Greene County offers a
variety of services to its customers, all while remaining committed to being “The People You Know, The People You Can Trust.” Based in Waynesburg, Pa., First Federal of Greene County maintains eight offices in Greene, Fayette and Washington counties in Pennsylvania, and two First Greene Mortgage subsidiary offices in Morgantown and Bridgeport, W.Va. For more information, visit www.ffgc.bank.
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