10/12/2010

Citizens Bank names New Neighborhoods, Inc. its newest Champion in Action in Connecticut

New London, Ct. (October 13, 2010) - Citizens Bank has announced that New Neighborhoods, Inc. of Stamford has been recognized as a Champion in Action® for the fourth quarter of 2010 in the area of affordable housing.

The award was announced by Citizens Bank, during an on-air segment during a newscast on News 8 WTNH earlier today. The award includes a $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation.

“New Neighborhoods, Inc., has been working to improve the quality of life in the Stamford area for more than a generation. We are delighted to support the agency with our Champions in Action award,” said Joe Hoffman, CEO and President of RBS Card Services, a Bridgeport-based subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group. “NNI has also been an effective advocate in promoting change in community attitudes and public policy in support of affordable housing.” 

NNI is the oldest nonprofit housing developer in Fairfield County.  For more than 40 years, NNI has developed more than 160 units of owner occupied affordable housing in Stamford and manages 375 units of rental  housing, including 55 units of housing for the independent elderly. The 88-unit Martin Luther King property in Stamford has given low- and moderate-income families and individuals a safety net as they build new opportunities for home ownership, higher education and better or fuller employment.

“Since 1967, NNI has been improving the quality of life in Fairfield County through the development of housing that promotes economic stability, creates ownership opportunities, and serves as a catalyst for strengthening our neighborhoods. We carry out our mission by developing, preserving and managing low-, moderate- and middle-income housing ownership, as well as rental housing to keep our region a viable place to live, work and do business,” said Ross Burkhardt, President and CEO of New Neighborhoods, Inc.

Champions in Action is a partnership between Citizens Bank and News 8 to provide financial support and public awareness to the nonprofit organizations that work every day to champion change in our communities. It was launched in 2002.

Each quarter, a nonprofit organization among a range of social service topics in Connecticut is recognized as a Champion in Action. Each champion in action receives the following support in addition to the $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation:

• Media coverage from News 8/MyTV9, including public service announcements.
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank and News 8 WTNH /MyTV9.
• Public relations support and promotional support through visibility at Citizen Bank branches and citizensbank.com.

About Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 51 branches and 89 ATMs in Connecticut.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $140 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).