Maine Bank Says Yes to Business

Our tagline “The Bank of Yes” reflects our belief that banking relationships should be about possibilities, not roadblocks. Too often, businesses hear “no” from other banks, but we take a different approach. We work hard to help our customers find a path to “yes,” whether that means securing a loan today or understanding what steps they can take to become qualified in the future. The tagline also plays off the pronunciation of our name (Machi-Yes) reinforcing our commitment to helping people and businesses achieve their goals and dreams with a spirit of optimism and partnership.

Machias Savings Bank manages deposit and interest-rate risk through a disciplined asset/liability management framework. We use robust modeling and stress testing to monitor rate sensitivity, maintain diversified funding sources including FHLBank Boston lines, advances, and letters of credit, and apply competitive yet prudent deposit pricing strategies. These measures ensure strong liquidity and stability while supporting our community banking mission.

FHLBank Boston’s products directly support Machias Savings Bank’s overarching strategy of community investment—building stronger communities through meaningful partnerships, financial education, and personalized relationships. Through programs like the Equity Builder Program and Housing Our Workforce grants, we help low- and moderate-income families overcome barriers to homeownership by bridging down-payment and closing-cost gaps. When combined with MaineHousing programs, these resources make homeownership more attainable and further our mission to empower individuals and businesses to find their “YES!” and thrive.

Machias Savings Bank has strategically leveraged FHLBank Boston’s housing and community investment programs to advance our commitment to community reinvestment and economic vitality. Through initiatives like the Jobs for New England program, we’ve accessed 0% funding to support job creation, women-owned businesses, and economic development. This approach allows us to match fund businesses for up to 10 years while maintaining a modest interest margin. These efforts strengthen our ability to meet Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) objectives and foster long-term community growth.

To remain competitive in our market, we will continue participating in programs such as FHLBank Boston’s Housing Our Workforce and Equity Builder Program initiatives, as well as MaineHousing loans and Fannie Mae’s 3% HomeReady program for first-time homebuyers. Partnering with these programs allows us to expand access to affordable housing and support our borrowers’ financial wellbeing, while our competitive edge remains our exceptional customer experience and deep understanding of each borrower’s unique financing needs.

We recently completed a year-long systems transformation with financial services company, Jack Henry, upgrading our Core, Bill Pay, Debit Card, and Archival platforms, along with implementing Arkalytics by Arkatechture to unify our institutional data. Led by our COO Ben Jordan, the project demanded extraordinary focus from our team, who emerged proud and energized by the results. These upgrades have modernized our infrastructure, improved efficiency, enhanced decision-making, and positioned us for long-term growth.