Stories

I was just starting my life after living in a homeless shelter and joined Ridgewood Savings Bank to help with my financial payments and build my credit.

I am grateful for the hospitality I received. I inquired about opening an account, and everything was explained clearly.

I’m so happy I joined Ridgewood Savings Bank and look forward to continuing to do business with them. I even went to the bank one day and, to my surprise, I was the first customer for the day, which resulted in receiving a $100 gift card. Thank you, Ridgewood.

My relationship with Ridgewood started in 1920 when my father’s uncle, William A. Fluhr, was one of the 14 businessmen to form the bank.

In addition to being one of the original trustees, he also served as vice president. William’s brother, Walter Fluhr, was a local pharmacist like William and banked with Ridgewood until his death in 1986. I was born in 1953 and, as a young boy, I remember my father having a passbook with one of the earliest account numbers. My father gave me the souvenir penny he got when the bank opened on June 18, 1921. The souvenir says, “Keep Me and Never Go Broke.” As a youngster, I remember going to the bank’s main office and seeing the bronze plaque with William Fluhr’s name as one of the original trustees. I had joint Ridgewood savings accounts with my parents and now have accounts with my wife. While living on Long Island, I banked at the Hicksville and Bellmore branches, always with friendly service. I moved out of New York two years ago but have maintained my relationship with Ridgewood with a Smart Move Online Savings Account. Ridgewood has multiplied the good in my life with generations of savings, including to this day with an exceptionally high interest rate on the online savings account. Thank you, Ridgewood!

I sometimes sit on the bench that’s right outside the branch, which has big windows with easy visibility. I see people coming in and out of the bank. When people came out, they were usually smiling, they looked happy.

People usually don’t come out of a bank so happy.

I decided to go into the bank just to check out the atmosphere. From the security guard, to the tellers and bank managers, everyone was so nice, without being pushy. Even with their masks on, I could tell they were being sincere. I opened a savings account – even though I already have an account with another bank (which I’m closing). These days, you don’t really find a lot of nice people, so when you do, you just want to be a part of that!

Sadly, my husband had a severe auto accident just five years after we became homeowners. Thanks to the personal attention and kindness of Ridgewood’s caring staff, we held onto our home until we could pay our mortgage again with the help of family and friends. Ridgewood Savings Bank truly is a neighborhood financial institution that works with their clients on a personal basis.

To this day, I remember the kindness of everyone who helped me.

Moving forward, I am so thankful that this is still my home of 49 years. Ridgewood Savings Bank is such a stable part of our community. A business is a success only because of the wonderful staff. I always advise anyone looking to purchase a home to get their mortgage through Ridgewood Savings Bank because of my trust in them.

Between my long shifts, it was truly good to know that I could go to Ridgewood Savings Bank on my way to and from work.

The hours were very convenient. The staff has always been very friendly, but I noticed they seem to get younger and younger. Or maybe I’m just getting older. To all the staff, keep up the good work and keep smiling.

I’ve been banking here for more than 20 years. The tellers and customer service representatives have always been friendly, helpful and efficient.

In fact, many of the longtime workers, including security guards, know your name by heart.

I recently had to purchase 17 gift cards, and at my age of 76, I was dreading the process. I approached one of the customer service representatives who guided me through the process and took time to have the cards processed as I sat by her desk. I really appreciate this because I know the inconvenience and hassle of purchasing gift cards elsewhere. Thank you, everyone at the Hollis branch!

This community has been through everything: 9/11, Hurricane Sandy – and Ridgewood was always there through it all.

It’s more than just a bank, it’s our bank. We depend on Ridgewood to help us through our ups and downs in life, and, of course, everyone is treated with dignity and respect. I have always had a great experience at this bank, and I know my family and I will be customers for life. Thank you, Ridgewood, for being a part of our community!

It was the members of Ridgewood Savings Bank who went above and beyond for me, the little girl just following along for the ride.

I’d be happily greeted by the teller, even if I was in the backseat of the car while my dad waited at the drive-up window. Most visits would end in me receiving a lollipop, a small gesture that made me feel welcome. As I think back over all the years filled with lollipops and greetings, I’m reminded why Ridgewood has been my family bank and will continue to be for generations.

In the 1980s when my mother became disabled, Mr. Piazza personally came over to visit with my mother to chat, see how she was doing, and find out if he could do anything for her.

His kindness and compassion were truly amazing, and I always felt this reflects how Ridgewood Savings Bank truly cares for its customers.

Ridgewood Savings Bank, you saved the day.

When we opened up our traditional IRAs.

We read in the paper about a new way to save.

The service and rates would cause us to rave.

We watched the interest, and the savings did mount.

I was so happy, I opened a checking account.

I am always treated nicely when visiting the location.

And congratulate Ridgewood on its one-hundred-year celebration.

My sister was born a few years later and my parents opened savings accounts for us both. I distinctly remember my mom driving through the drive-thru to make her transactions, and the teller would always give my mom lollipops for us (we were sitting in the back seat).

The teller would ask what our favorite colors were – so that would be the color of the lollipop she would give us.

This is such a fond memory and it always makes me smile when I think of it. Oh, how I miss those days! So sweet and simple. There was always great customer service and friendly, helpful people back then, just as there is now. Although we all moved away many years ago (and closed out our accounts), my heart is still in Franklin Square! So I opened an account at that same branch – I believe that was 2015.

That’s when I started to go with my girlfriend and her mother to the Ridgewood Savings Bank in Bellmore, NY. Her mother was a longtime customer and kept telling me how kind and helpful everyone was to her at the bank. They always had time for her, no matter how big or small her account was. I had the opportunity to experience this firsthand each time I accompanied them to the bank. For an added treat, I always found calendars and even candy or coffee on the counter, which I was invited to share.

My girlfriend’s mother’s words stay with me to this very day:

“Stay with Ridgewood because they will always be there for you. They are like family.”

She was right, as always. After my girlfriend’s mother passed away, the manager and assistant manager helped my girlfriend with all the necessary paperwork and took care of everything she needed at this difficult time. She confided in me that she would not have made it through this difficult time without them.

Fast forward three years, and I am now a devoted, loyal Ridgewood customer with my own account. With bill pay, my car payments are taken care of each month without a hitch. This past year I was the victim of identity theft, and thank goodness for the Yorkville staff for taking care of this problem so patiently and professionally. I have my girlfriend’s mother to thank each day for bringing Ridgewood Savings Bank into my life. They truly are my second family. Happy Anniversary, Ridgewood. Here’s to the next 100! Oh, by the way, I’m happy to report that my girlfriend and I are still banking together at Ridgewood.

Now living in Rego Park, I still have a branch nearby. My friends always laughed at me because I did not bank at one of those popular named places where you are just a number. They told me to go to a real bank. My response was, “My bank is a real bank, and I prefer not to be a number in some huge place.”

Anytime I needed something, I walked into the branch and was always helped immediately.

I love Ridgewood Savings Bank and would not change it for the world!!!

I remember, in times before direct deposit, going with my father every Saturday to cash his check at the Main branch on Forest Avenue and Myrtle.

It was like entering a palace, and I could still remember the murals, the stonework, and the marble.

It felt so special and I was always amazed that it was only a 10-minute walk from my home.

I knew that when I was an adult, I wanted to keep with Ridgewood. And I have! At 39, I still use Ridgewood (although I now use the branch in Breezy Point). Their great customer service, their helpfulness, and their growth as a digital banking service have kept me a faithful customer. Although as a child I thought the building was special, what I’ve come to realize is that the bank itself was what was special and continues to be after all these years. Happy 100, and here’s to 100 more!

When my parents referred to “the bank,” they meant Ridgewood.  Both of my parents worked very hard and were great savers. The savings were religiously deposited at Ridgewood. My parents purchased two six-family houses and were able to get mortgages from Ridgewood.

I graduated from high school in 1962. My parents opened a savings account for me and made the first deposit, which was my graduation gift. My parents set a great example. In 1966 my husband and I purchased our first home in Glendale. We were young kids but we were able to get our first mortgage from Ridgewood. We never thought to apply to any other institutions because Ridgewood was our bank.

My husband and I now live in Jericho, Long Island.

After almost 60 years we still bank at Ridgewood Savings Bank in Hicksville. We are very satisfied customers.

I’m glad to tell my story because it brings back some fond memories. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

I enjoy participating in Ridgewood’s contests. I have won three times over the years – imagine what luck!

I particularly enjoyed winning a Valentine’s Day basket with a heart, which I of course gave to my late wife.

She always liked to wait for me on the bench near the coffee machine, where she would have a cookie. She passed in 2020, and whenever I enter the bank I look at the empty bench and think of her. Our visits to Ridgewood Savings Bank were a social event for two senior customers.

Every time I go into the Grand Avenue branch, they greet me like we are family (because in reality we kind of are family). Every time I have a question, it is never frowned upon.

They are an amazing group of people.

I have referred many people to Ridgewood Savings Bank because of the warmth and the kind employees.

Proud to say both my daughters are customers of the bank, and now my first granddaughter has opened her first savings account.

There will be more grandchildren coming, and the Ridgewood tradition will continue from one generation to another.

The staff at the bank is like family. They’ve always greeted me with a friendly smile and have always been very helpful with providing me with the right guidance I need when making financial decisions. Looking forward to the continuation of wonderful service for myself, my grandchildren and the Astoria community. Thank you all for looking out for my financial needs.

Throughout my childhood, shiny pennies were doled out liberally for everything from success to wishes.

Feeling silly and like a kid, I toted the very heavy sack to my grandmother’s bank, Ridgewood, thinking they might frown and kick me out.

But they couldn’t have been more welcoming, and have been so ever since. It turned out there was plenty there to start a savings account in my grandmother’s honor. They gave me a blue Ridgewood passbook, and over the years I’ve added change and little bits to it regularly. That account built on lucky pennies has taken me to China and on other trips. Most of all, I smile every time I visit and, even with $100 in pennies, I feel like a million bucks. Thank you, Amie. Thank you, Ridgewood Savings Bank.

A short man with a broad smile brought us to the back of the bank and had us fill out our cards and paperwork. We talked about our new house around the corner and we quickly shared stories about our families. His welcome to our new bank was extraordinary. As we were leaving, he handed over our two small, red vault key envelopes and said he hoped to see us soon!

Later that evening, we opened the envelopes and found that he had written some words of advice in each: “Smiling is good for health” and “Excess of everything is bad.” We both laughed and couldn’t believe this act of kindness.

Over the years, we developed an even stronger friendship, and we still keep those words in our hearts almost 25 years later.

Of course, we still have the envelopes as well!

As mom grew older, Ridgewood became her lifeline for support. As she recounted the many ways the people helped her, I grew to understand how important it was to have a bank with caring, kind staff for customers.

One Saturday when visiting mom, we went to the bank together, and I found out what my mother was talking about. As soon as she walked through the door, she was greeted as a friend, not just a customer.

Everyone knew her name and had a friendly smile and a warm word to say to her.

As her daughter, this meant more to me than words can even express. I immediately realized that this was where I wanted to bank. This was the kind of bank I wanted to be a part of. I immediately opened an account and to this day it has been the best decision I have made. My partner of 15 years saw what I meant about the customer service, the individual attention and loyalty. He too opened an account, and together we thank my mother (who passed in 2014) each day for giving us this gift.

Thank you, Ridgewood, for all you do for your customers and the community. There is no bank like you!

My husband quickly said that we had what we needed and more.

We were approved and so happy!

In 2021, after living in that home for 42 years, we retired, sold and moved east. However, we still drive an hour to bank in Garden City Park. Hoping Ridgewood opens a branch out here, but love going back to see my bank friends. We will never close our accounts there. They have always treated us with respect and kindness and are always helpful. Best bank ever!!!

They gave us gifts and offered us Kosher friendly treats. We were very impressed because we keep Kosher.

The Branch Manager introduced himself and was so friendly that we felt that we made a new friend who had our interests at heart and we trusted him completely. We immediately transferred our money from our existing bank.

When we visit Ridgewood, we feel that we are visiting friends.

We even get our Jewish calendars from Ridgewood and give them to our friends. We never experienced such courtesy and friendliness in a bank before.

I started working after school as a typist in Manhattan.

As soon as I received my first paycheck, I went to Ridgewood Savings Bank and opened my first Passbook Savings Account and a great banking relationship was born!

My family members are also longtime Ridgewood Savings Bank customers.

When we moved to Elmont, I was so happy to find out there was a Ridgewood Savings Bank in my neighborhood! Thank you for the great service you have provided to me and my family all these years. Happy Anniversary, RSB!

When I moved back to New York, I lived in their home for some time, and because I was aware of this bank’s outstanding customer service track record, I didn’t hesitate to become a customer too. Now that I’m happily married, my bride is now also a satisfied customer.

I have not been disappointed, and I continue to sing Ridgewood’s praises.

I anxiously awaited my turn and planned my strategy. My little son was watching and laughing with delight as the dollar bills spun around. I was able to grab about $40.

What fun! A day I will never forget. Thanks, Ridgewood!

While I was in basic training, I sent money home for my mother to put into the account. When I got back from basic training, the money was put into my name and I used it to buy my first car, a Chrysler. I also had another account at Ridgewood Savings Bank when I was in grade school. They were encouraging young people to learn to save. Every week I put something into that account. Someone from the school came around and collected the books to bring to the bank with the money.

All I can say is over the years I found that “it pays to save!”

They knew who we were and offered us something to drink as though they knew we had traveled far and we were visiting a friend’s home. It was a very welcoming place. We would sit with a customer service representative who would help us with any needs we had, such as ordering more checks.

Now that I have my own accounts at Ridgewood Savings Bank, every time I visit I still feel a very welcoming spirit.

I would never switch banks. Banking at Ridgewood feels like banking with an old friend who knows my family and me.

My husband lived in Ridgewood and I moved there after we married. We went to the bank at least once a week to save our money so we could buy a house. Eventually we bought a house in New Hyde Park and we began to use the Garden City Park branch.

We still have our accounts there to this day.

The staff has always been friendly, helpful and kind.

Ridgewood Savings Bank began meeting our banking needs and it looks like that will continue.

They know us by name and have always been helpful, especially throughout the COVID-19 crisis, when it became difficult for my elderly father to do his banking in person. I am especially grateful for the customer service representative at the New Rochelle location who recently helped my father update and amend his accounts, as the recent COVID-19 health crisis has taught us the importance to plan ahead responsibly.

She was patient and very informative. She took the time to help us make sure we had all of our banking needs resolved, and it was a big relief to have this handled so smoothly.

It was our first ever concert and we were one row behind the “pit.” It was truly an incredible experience, with memories that will last a lifetime and maybe beyond! The next time that I used the money that I had saved up was when I finally married my daughter’s mother. We paid for the wedding ourselves, nothing super fancy and a lot of DIY ingenuity, but we did it on our own terms and without drowning in debt. Now I am saving up so that we can take our first family vacation together – now the four of us – with our newborn.

Thanks to Ridgewood Savings Bank, we can do that without drowning in credit card interest. Awesome!!

After many years spent banking at New York City’s large commercial banks, and experiencing impersonal service that led more than once to serious account errors and related problems, Ridgewood’s atmosphere initially took me by surprise. The staff’s friendliness and individualized care were reminiscent of the special kind of small-town banks I remembered from the small hometown of my childhood. In the ten-plus years that I’ve been a Ridgewood depositor, that initial positive impression hasn’t wavered. In fact, it’s grown stronger.

No matter how frequently or infrequently I visit my local branch, the reception there is always friendly and helpful with courteous and efficient service.

And the professional staff actually know my name! How unusual is that?! Small-town warmth combined with big-city proficiency? Rare indeed! But maybe that’s the difference between community and commercial banks. Or maybe the difference between Ridgewood and all other banks, period.

After carefully researching options when considering a change in banks those ten-plus years ago, it’s still hard to believe my good fortune in choosing Ridgewood. Or perhaps Ridgewood chose me. Whatever the case, we’re an ideal match and I can’t imagine banking anywhere else now.

So thank you, Ridgewood Savings Bank, for outstanding customer service that’s consistently superior. And thanks, too, for respect in caring enough to know my name. I’m an appreciative customer.

Sure enough, a little after 5 pm, I received a call from the VP and District Manager at Ridgewood, who said something I would have never expected – that she would meet me at the dealership in the morning with a certified check! Information was exchanged and we made the plans. Sure enough, before 9 am, I pulled into the dealership, and there was a pleasant and smiling woman waiting for me with check in hand. No stress, no worries and my purchase went on as planned.

It’s these kinds of personalized customer interactions that separate Ridgewood Savings Bank apart from the rest. Way to go!

When the bank first offered Smart Move Online Savings, I didn’t think it was for me. I am not computer savvy. I didn’t understand how it worked. I came to the bank and June helped me. She showed me that I could do it! She helped me every step of the way. I am so very proud of myself, and my family was very impressed. I enjoy this online account so very much.

The confidence and ease of depositing checks, checking my account balances, and moving money is all a great comfort to me.

Every time I come to the bank it is a pleasurable experience because of June. I look forward to seeing her. It is like seeing a friend. Just kind words of welcome, how are you, and just as important, my banking business is always handled in such a professional manner.

June is the kind of employee that any business would want to represent them. I am grateful for her help in making me a confident, online savvy customer.

The next morning, I turned my phone on and I had a message from Ridgewood. I found out that someone had stolen a check from me somehow and wrote it out for about $4,500. Luckily, the manager at Ridgewood flagged it and did not let it pass. The signature was completely off and you could tell it wasn’t me.

They gave me peace of mind and I knew my money was safe.

When I returned from my trip, they helped me create a new account and I closed the compromised one. I was super happy with Ridgewood’s customer support and am truly grateful.

Germaine took care of all the paperwork so efficiently that I was out of the bank in only a few minutes.

My wife was waiting in the car. She had brought a book to read, but she was also pleasantly surprised how quickly my usually complex IRA transaction was completed. Thank you, Germaine, for your courtesy and your efficiency. My wife barely read a page of her book while waiting for me.

Now as we walk into the bank, everyone knows us, and we don’t even have to give our names. They welcome us and ask us about our family and the new projects that we are planning.

When they say “hometown banking,” they really mean it!!!

I needed to get my bank statements for the year and was completely shaken up. That is, until I came in and spoke with Evelyn. This petite woman with her calming voice brought me some much-needed comfort at this extremely difficult time. She told me that it was no problem, and she would gather everything I needed. I left Ridgewood Savings Bank feeling a bit better than when I entered.

When I arrived the next day, I went to see Evelyn, who greeted me with a big smile and a folder with all of my bank statements inside. I thanked her over and over again, and if she wasn’t behind the window, I’m sure I would have given her a big hug. I gave all of my paperwork to the IRS officer, and thank goodness it was all cleared up.

I knew that I had to come back and give Evelyn the good news. I arrived at the bank with a bouquet of flowers for her and told her how much she helped me. She was so modest and really wanted no accolades. Evelyn felt she was just doing her job. That may have been the case, but for me Evelyn went above and beyond.

I have been banking with Ridgewood since I was a little girl who could barely reach the window to give the teller money to add to my Christmas Club account, and people like Evelyn are the reason why!

“No,” he explained, “this is where we keep our money.”

I thought we must be the richest family on earth!

When I was 12 years old I opened my own account to save the money from babysitting the neighbors’ children. I had my very own little book which listed all my hard-earned money. At 14, I opened a Christmas Club and each week deposited 50¢. Four weeks before Christmas, I had the enormous sum of $25.00 to spend on gifts, which seemed like a fortune to me.

However, as I grew older, my thrifty ways did not continue. Life interfered, and buying clothes and Beatles albums were more important to a young girl than saving money.

After I married, we had the opportunity to buy the house owned by my parents. We immediately went to Ridgewood Savings Bank, received a mortgage and thus began another 20-year relationship with this wonderful Bank.

I am now 72 years of age and have been a loyal member of this amazing Bank for many years. And they have been loyal to me: I can go there at any time to ask questions about my finances, or if I need help in getting through the complexities of online banking, there’s always a friendly face and pleasant voice willing to help me. You truly are a neighborhood institution.

Ridgewood Savings Bank has been there for me for as long as I can remember and I am thrilled to say, “Happy 100th Birthday!”

Paul opened his first account when he was 12, and his parents and his kids are all Ridgewood Savings Bank customers. “The bank has been there for our family for many years,” he says.

As president of the Franklin Square Historical Society, Paul appreciates the many ways Ridgewood has helped his organization, including in their fundraising efforts to build a new museum.

How did they raise the money?
“Schoolchildren were collecting a million pennies,” he recalls.

“I will never forget bringing shopping carts loaded with change to the bank. They weighed a ton! The team at Ridgewood was wonderful, helping us roll all that loose change.”

The Franklin Square Museum recently celebrated its grand opening, and Paul credits the help of community partners like Ridgewood. “The folks at Ridgewood have always supported us,” he says. “We don’t forget that.”

Along with her day-to-day banking, Dorothy turned to Ridgewood for her mortgage. Her husband and kids bank with Ridgewood too. “They’re a family-friendly bank,” she says.

For Dorothy, what really sets a bank apart is how it helps during challenging times.

“When my sister passed away, she had left me some savings bonds that I didn’t know how to cash in,” she explains. “The people at Ridgewood were wonderful. They said, ‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Viola,’ and they helped me go through the bonds, mail them in, everything.”

“They were a big help during a difficult time. I’m thankful for good people.”

Bob is president of the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council, which has been educating and supporting kids since 1980. In fact, Bob points out, “we’ve had a number of young people at GRYC who now work at Ridgewood Savings Bank.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, his nonprofit faced a funding cut and new safety restrictions. They needed money to keep going. Bob turned to the banking team at Ridgewood. With their help, GRYC secured a $1.6 million loan through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.

“I was worried that we couldn’t get the funds,” he says. “But our bankers guided us through the whole process.”

“Our PPP loan from Ridgewood helped us save the jobs of 70 full-time staff.”

For Bob, having a dedicated local partner has made all the difference. He says, “Ridgewood may not be the biggest bank, but they’re always available to help. No matter what.”

Laura was introduced to Ridgewood by her mother, Linda, a longtime customer. Laura’s husband, James, now banks with Ridgewood too, and they even opened an account for their young daughter.

For the Morgan family, it’s not just about doing business with a bank they know, but about having a banking team that knows them.

“You can ask Ridgewood employees anything, and you don’t have to feel rushed or uncomfortable,” she says. “Ridgewood is definitely a great bank for families.”

When you’re juggling a job, two young kids, and a busy life, that personal attention makes a difference. Speaking of her friendship with Izeta Durakovic, the manager of Ridgewood’s New Rochelle branch, Laura recalls, “I had a problem ordering checks online, so I sent a text to Izeta. That was all it took!”

Laura especially appreciates the extra support she and her mom received when they needed to manage more complex financial needs. Having a close relationship with the bank helped the whole process go more smoothly. She says, “They already knew us and understood our situation, and we could trust them to help.”