Centric Bank Hosts SBA Administrator Carranza at Roundtable for Women-Owned Small Businesses

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, June 19, 2020, Patricia (Patti) Husic, President & CEO of Centric Bank and Centric Financial Corporation (OTC: CFCX), hosted Administrator Jovita Carranza, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, for a Women-Owned Small Business Roundtable at Cornerstone Coffeehouse, Camp Hill, Pa. In a continued advocacy tour on behalf of America's 30 million small businesses, Administrator Carranza discussed the impact of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) on local small businesses and met with Harrisburg region small business owners and their employees. The PPP is a federal loan forgiveness program created to help employers to sustain their businesses and retain their employees in the economic upset of COVID-19.

Attendees and panelists came together to share their stories at Cornerstone Coffeehouse, 2133 Market Street, Camp Hill, Pa. Special guests included Patti Husic, President & CEO of Centric Bank; SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza; U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia; Darmayne Robertson, Owner, Sweet Confections Cakes Inc.; Jenine Diaz, President, Diaz Transcription Services; Jessica Meyers, CEO, JEM Group LLC; Anne Deeter Gallaher, Owner & CEO, Deeter Gallaher Group LLC; and Sue Pera, Owner, Cornerstone Coffeehouse.

"As one of the largest PPP providers in our region, it was a privilege for Centric Bank to welcome Administrator Carranza to central Pennsylvania. In a time when local small business owners are collectively facing the greatest challenge in a generation—the health and economic crisis of Coronavirus—the roundtable invited leaders across all industries to share the stories of Pennsylvania small business owners," says Husic. "The focus was our business owners' triumphs and goals, and how the SBA Lending Program has helped them sustain their businesses and keep their people employed."

"It is so important that the SBA hear directly from small businesses and the local lenders who served as our partners in deploying emergency relief funding through the federal forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans," said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. "More than 4.6 million small businesses and non-profits have already accessed PPP loans, and we are encouraging any others needing this emergency funding relief to apply through a participating lender before the deadline on June 30, 2020. Together with lenders, the SBA has been working around the clock to provide timely resources to small businesses so they may rebound safely and bring more needed prosperity to their local communities."

Centric Bank Answers the Call: Paycheck Protection Program

• Processed and funded 1,600 PPP applications for a total of $215 million, retaining over 22,000 jobs in Pennsylvania;
• Serving customers and non-customers, more than 55% of PPP loans were awarded to non-customers in the suburban Philadelphia region;
• In Cumberland and Dauphin counties, Pa., 32% of PPP loans funded women-owned and woman-as-an-owner businesses;
• PPP Command Center built in less than 48 hours.

"Through the SBA Program, Centric Bank has been able to help solve the most pressing business problems presented by COVID-19," says Husic. "In a world where the work we do and the people we help are powerful markers of our identity, Centric Bank is turning possibilities into livelihoods."

For more information, follow @CentricBank on Twitter or @Centric_Bank on Instagram for highlights of the roundtable event.

ABOUT CENTRIC FINANCIAL CORPORATION AND CENTRIC BANK
An American Banker 2019 and 2018 Best Banks to Work For, three-time American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Team, three-time Best Places to Work, and Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies for six years, Centric Bank is headquartered in south central Pennsylvania with assets of $1.01 billion and is a leader in organic loan growth. A locally owned, locally loaned community bank, Centric Bank provides highly competitive and pro-growth financial services to businesses, professionals, individuals, families, and to the health care and dental industries with the Doctor Centric Bank Division. Centric Bank is a Top 10 SBA 7(a) Lender in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Founded in 2007, Pennsylvania-based Centric Bank has financial centers located in Harrisburg, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Doylestown, and Devon, loan production offices in Devon and Lancaster, and an Operations and Executive Office campus in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. To learn more about Centric Bank, call 717.657.7727 or visit CentricBank.com. Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Centric Financial Corporation is traded over the counter (OTC-Pink) with the ticker symbol CFCX.

ABOUT THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.­

SOURCE Centric Financial Corporation, Inc.