New bank aims to give back to community

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Keisha Moss's story started 15 years ago, when she came to the Urban League uptown to take classes for first-time homebuyers.

Now she's back as the first branch manager of the Bank of the Urban League.

The bank was born out of what would seem like an unlikely partnership between a small bank from Ballantyne and an agency that's helped people in Charlotte's inner city for decades.

"We have a very trusting relationship with the community," said Dr. Patrick Graham, president of the Urban League.

Graham said things started happening after he was introduced to John Kreighbaum, president and CEO of Carolina Premier Bank.

"This is part of the foundation of what community banks are all about, and more specifically our bank," Kreighbaum said.

But it's the mission of this bank that will set it apart.

Along with being branch manager, Moss will also be teaching people who may have never had an account about banking.

“We are truly giving back.  We have a product that will help the non-bankers and under-banking community," Moss said.

It's giving back but it's also creating new customers in a community where banks are hard to come by, and that's good business.

"We wouldn't be doing this, obviously, if there was not a reward to the shareholders of our bank," Kreighbaum said.

And 15 years from now, Moss is confident she'll have another story to tell.

"It's going to be a success story on top of success stories, because we're going to help thousands of people."

WSOC