How has the bank leveraged the U.S. Small
Business Administration Preferred Lender
Program to create new opportunities?
Since its founding in 1988, Portage Commerce Bank has been dedicated to small
business. This commitment is apparent in many ways, including the expertise
we have developed in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lending. Since
the bank was granted the Preferred Lender Program status in 2004, we have
originated over $33 million in SBA loans for more than 90 small business clients.
This has allowed us to finance growing businesses, enabled clients to establish
new businesses and provided transitional financing to new owners. In most
cases, the proper financing may not have been available otherwise.
The success of our SBA initiative shows the quality of our lending staff, as well as
the expertise available to us through Capitol Bancorp Limited.
I would like to recognize the contributions of Robert L. Johnson who passed
away in November. Bob was an original investor in the bank and a founding
member of the board of directors. He was integral in developing the bank into a
steady, high-performing bank and will be missed.
We celebrated the bank’s 20th anniversary last May. I am proud of our team’s
dedication to its continuing safe and sound performance, even as our industry
has been faced with many unprecedented challenges. It is also a testament to
the oversight and wisdom of our outstanding directors many of whom, like Bob,
are founding members.
— Dennis J. Kuhn, President & CEO