Active and Retired Members of the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island: As directed by the General Assembly and required by Rhode Island Law, the General Treasurer has convened a Pension Advisory Working Group to assess the impacts of the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act of 2011. The Advisory Working Group is scheduled to meet six times over the next four months, beginning Thursday, November 2, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. All meetings will be open to the public and livestreamed by CapitolTV. ERSRI members are encouraged to submit written testimony to gentreasurer@treasury.ri.gov, or through the online submission form. More information concerning the scheduled meeting dates and the members of the Advisory Working Group can be found here.
BankLOCAL BankLOCAL is Rhode Island Treasury’s new community deposit program which will move up to $30 million in state deposits to local banks and credit unions. BankLOCAL supports local financial institutions as they lend to small businesses in Rhode Island, supporting economic growth and opportunity in the Ocean State. BankLOCAL has matched loans for nearly 450 small business loans across the state, depositing more than $43.6 million into local banks and credit unions. Nearly one-third of the current loans matched with BankLocal deposits have been to women, minority, first-time, or veteran borrowers. If you are a small business owner in Rhode Island and would like to apply for a loan, please get in touch with one of these participating financial institutions: BankNewport BankRI Bristol County Savings Bank Centreville Bank Customer’s Bank Freedom National Bank Greenwood Credit Union HarborOne Bank Home Loan Investment Bank Navigant Credit Union People’s Credit Union Washington Trust Deposits into participating banks and credit unions will typically match the amount lent to qualified small businesses in Rhode Island, that employ fewer than 100 employees. Loans to first-time business owners, veteran-owned businesses, and women and minority-owned businesses are eligible for a 2-to-1 matching deposit into the lending bank or credit union - up to $250,000 per loan. Rhode Island Treasury has no role in selecting or approving small business borrowers. Lending decisions are made by the participating banks and credit unions that have lending expertise in our communities and are making loans to small businesses. Any local bank or chartered Rhode Island credit union is eligible to apply to be part of the program. Participating financial institutions must meet minimum requirements for financial soundness, including proof of FDIC or NCUA insurance, and all state cash deposits must be fully collateralized. You can learn more about the program, and how to become an eligible lending institution, by reading the Community Deposit Program Guide or by contacting Rhode Island Treasury’s Cash Manager, Jeffrey Thurston, at (401) 462-7642. If you represent a qualified lending institution and need to submit a deposit request, please fill out the Community Deposit Form. You can email the form directly to our Cash Management team at cashmanagement@treasury.ri.gov.