RCB President and CEO, Julieann Thurlow, Attends the 2015 ABA Government Relations Summit

Reading Cooperative Bank President and CEO, Julieann Thurlow, attended
the 2015 American Bankers Association (ABA) Government Relations Summit from March 23-25 in Washington, DC. Each year more than a thousand bankers gather to speak to Congress and regulators in a unified voice to advocate for the changes hometown banks need to better serve their customers. This year, the Summit, which is the industry’s largest annual advocacy event, drew more than 1,100 participants from across the country and featured visits to Capitol Hill where bankers met with legislators and others to discuss policy priorities.

Prior to meeting with legislators, the ABA honored 12 of its members during the Summit for “going above and beyond” in advocating for the banking industry. Reading Cooperative’s Thurlow was among this year’s “Excellence in Advocacy” recipients. The award’s presenter remarked that, “Julieann’s commitment to mutuality, community banking and ABA is well known and is evidenced by her participation in several different councils and events. But it’s her grassroots leadership that is most inspiring”.

During the conference, Thurlow had an opportunity to make a presentation to 250 fellow bankers about Reading Cooperative’s new brand, celebrating our cooperative ownership, history and community mindfulness.

While many bankers met with their local congressmen, Thurlow joined a delegation of 8 bankers which met with U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, to discuss the need for regulatory relief and the local economic role of community banks.

Julieann Thurlow is a tireless advocate for community banks, and a firm believer that local depositor owned community banks have a vital role in the economic success of a community by providing employment, access to credit decision makers for both businesses and consumers and philanthropy. She is proud of Reading Cooperative Bank’s legacy as a cooperative bank, and recently oversaw a successful effort to protect the Bank for the future by making it harder to convert the Bank’s status from a co-operative to a publicly traded company.

To learn more about Reading Cooperative Bank and Julieann Thurlow visit readingcoop.com