Citizens Financial Gets Top FHLBank Grant

Citizens Financial Group Inc., Providence, R.I., has announced that its New England banks have been awarded more than $335,000 by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to support lending for affordable housing.Citizens said the FHLBank is making available more than $1.2 million in New England through its new 2003 Equity Builder Program, and that the award to Citizens (with banks in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire) was the largest amount given to any bank in New England. The awards are aimed at supporting residential lending to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. "Citizens' award will provide funds to assist buyers with downpayment and closing costs for their new home," said Thomas J. Hollister, president and chief executive officer of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. The bank can be found online at http://www.citizensbank.com.