Fremont Bank
| Private | |
| Industry | Banking |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Headquarters | Fremont, California |
Key people | Andrew Mastorakis, President & CEO |
| Revenue | $17,600,000 |
Number of employees | 500+ |
| Slogan | Success Through Partnership |
| Website | http://www.fremontbank.com/ |
Fremont Bank is a leading retail and commercial bank, California mortgage lender, award-winning top philanthropic business and consistently ranks in the Bay Area News Group's "Top Bay Area Workplaces." Founded in 1964, Fremont Bank is one of the oldest independent family-owned and managed banks in the state and focuses on personalized service for clients. It has 18 branches [1] across the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Monterey with retail loan offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles counties.
History
Fremont Bank was founded in 1964 by Morris Hyman, a decorated World War II veteran who came to the Bay Area with his family in 1945. He attended Stanford University, earning both his bachelor’s and law degrees in only four years. Under his leadership, Fremont Bank became one of the most successful independent banks in the Bay Area. Morris died in October 2005, but his legacy lives on in his three children, who co-manage Fremont Bank.
Fremont Bank has always been known as an innovative community bank. In 1968, Fremont Bank launched one of the first iterations of Saturday banking. Fremont Bank was also one of the first of its kind to hold extended banking hours, further breaking the stereotypical mold. In the late 1980s, Fremont Bank developed the “No Closing Cost” Loan Program which reduced the borrowers costs of refinancing their mortgage with fees refunded at closing. These fees were a direct result of changes in mortgage lending practices that involved title insurance policies, appraisals, escrow services, and other changes that effected mortgage lending. The “No Closing Cost” loan was charged at a slightly higher rate and sold in the secondary market at a price high enough to cover the closing costs and bank overhead while generating a profit for the bank. The “No Closing Cost” Loan Program was a revolutionary idea in the lending market at the time and became the most successful real estate loan program the bank had ever instituted. That continues to be the case to this very day.
Community efforts
“You find out what someone needs and you give it" – Morris Hyman.
The ’’Fremont Bank Foundation’’ (FBF) was established in 1995 under the direction of Fremont Bank's late founder, Morris Hyman, and his late wife, Alvirda. FBF is an independent, private, grant making foundation that is solely funded by Fremont Bank. Formed with an initial investment of $20,000, the Foundation now receives a significant percentage of Fremont Bank's pre-tax income each year. These substantial funds allow Fremont Bank to continuously invest in local nonprofit organizations. Their greatest contribution to date has been $1,000,000 for a new family water-play facility in Fremont.
Fremont Bank’s Associate Volunteer Program, FB Team H.E.R.O.E.S. (help, educate, recognize, organize, embrace, and serve) is a group of Fremont Bank associates that volunteer their time within the community. Created in 2005 under former Bank President Brad Anderson, the program’s purpose is to provide Fremont Bank associates the opportunity to participate in team-building activities and enjoy the rewarding experience of helping our community partners. Some of the projects completed by FB Team H.E.R.O.E.S. include painting dining rooms at a homeless shelter, landscaping a courtyard and painting classrooms at a child daycare, building bird houses and planting trees at a regional park, covering the main pathway to a meadow with mulch and bark, and filling up holiday baskets with food and toys at a family resource center.