Provident has designated 13 pilot Hispanic Banking Branches throughout the Greater Washington area: Alexandria Penn Daw Shoppers Food Warehouse (SFW), Aspen Hill SuperFresh, Fairfax BJ’s, Falls Church SFW, Herndon, Landmark SFW, Manassas SFW, Manassas Hastings, Manassas Liberia SFW, Sterling SFW, Takoma Park SFW, Wheaton SFW, and White Flint SFW. These pilot branches were selected because of their considerable Hispanic population and an existing opportunity to respond to the region’s explosive market growth. Going forward, a Project Team will evaluate the addition of other Hispanic Banking Branches to Provident’s overall network and determine how this effort can serve as a model for future multicultural outreach initiatives.
Seven sub-committees were identified to focus on the three key areas of human resources, products and marketing. A wide range of services, including the highly successful "Language Line" interpreter service, were also put in place to meet the retail banking needs of Hispanic customers, while also providing them with better accessibility. These resources include acceptance of the Matricula Consular Card, bilingual Spanish ATM options and the ITIN Mortgage product for permanent and non-permanent residents. The ITIN Mortgage allows foreign nationals to obtain mortgages for second homes and investment properties in the U.S. using an individual taxpayer identification number in place of a Social Security number. With programs geared toward helping first-time homebuyers, and having a full-time bilingual mortgage sales and loan processing staff, Provident is unique to other banks looking to leverage opportunities within the Hispanic community.
Provident has actively increased recruiting efforts for bilingual Spanish employees throughout the region and plans are currently underway to develop a remittance product, expand community outreach activities and provide small business banking and investment opportunities to the Hispanic market.
Provident Bankshares Corporation is the holding company for Provident Bank. With $6.4 billion in assets, Provident serves individuals and businesses in the key urban areas of Baltimore, Washington and Richmond through a network of 151 offices in Maryland, Virginia, and southern York County, PA. Provident Bank also offers related financial services through wholly owned subsidiaries. Securities brokerage, investment management and related insurance services are available through Provident Investment Center and leases through Court Square Leasing and Provident Lease Corp. Visit Provident on the web at 
