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First Central Savings Bank – Banking the way it used it be, only better!

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Sponsored by First Central Savings Bank
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Banking the way it used to be, only better!

 

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Since April 5, 1999, First Central Savings Bank (or as the community knows it, FCSB) has pledged itself to being a friendly, personalized service for the community. As FCSB approaches its 20th Anniversary, they still hold true to their mission of banking the way it used to be, only better.
 
Since its opening, FCSB has committed itself to enriching the communities they serve, driving local economic growth and cultivating lasting relationships with its clients. Their employees hold such important values not only in their day to day business, but also in their personal lives.
 
FCSB has grown immensely since its humble beginnings. Under the watchful eye of Joseph Pistilli (Chairman of the Board and founder of FCSB), the bank has grown to over 100 employees throughout eight branch locations. They currently serve 5,500 customers by providing a good old fashioned personal service that you just won’t find anywhere else. Their customers are their first priority, and FCSB is filling the void that the big banks often leave empty.
 
By understanding their customer’s unique needs, FCSB is able to create a personalized banking experience for anyone who walks through their doors. FCSB currently has branches in Glen Cove, Astoria, Whitestone, Bayside, Ridgewood, Flushing, Ditmars and Forest Hills. The bank offers a number of services for its customers, whether they are seasoned bankers or are opening their very first account.
 
When you step into a branch of FCSB, you are greeted by a knowledgeable staff that helps you with all of your banking needs. Not only will they take the time to help you understand what they provide, the staff will help you figure out what works best for you.
 
In addition to having a knowledgeable staff that can help you find the loan product that’s right for you, FCSB’s website (MYFCSB.com) offers an online calculator that can help you estimate payments and loan interest rates with ease.
 
While FCSB has grown over the past 20 years, they still maintain an active role in the communities that they serve. Many of its employees are active in organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens, SHAREing and CAREing, Relay for Life and more. They host annual drives to help those who are less fortunate in the community through canned food drives, toy drives and pajama drives during the holidays.
 
 

Get to know our leadership
 
JOE
 
JOSEPH PISTILLI, Chairman of the Board
 
Joseph Pistilli founded Pistilli Realty Group in 1975. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Group and is actively involved in the development, ownership and management of professional, commercial and residential real estate in the New York metropolitan area.
 
Pistilli is also a co-founder of Pistilli Construction and Development, a company which proudly developed several award winning structures. Among some of its highlights, it has constructed the office building which serves as headquarters for Pistilli and was awarded First Prize for Excellence by the Queens County Chamber of Commerce in December 1998.
 
On April 5, 1999, Pistilli chartered and opened FCSB in Whitestone, the first new savings bank organized in New York State in excess of 20 years at that time. During his tenure as Chairman of the Board, FCSB has expanded to eight full service branches located in Glen Cove, Astoria, Ridgewood, Bayside, Whitestone, Flushing, Ditmars and Forest Hills.
 
Prior to starting FCSB, Pistilli served as a member of the Board of Directors of Marathon National Bank of New York from 1989 to 1997, a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee from 1993 to 1997, Chairman of the Executive Committee from 1996-1997, and a member of the Board of Marathon Banking Corporation, Marathon National Bank of New York’s parent holding company from 1997 to 1998.
 
Outside of his work with FCSB and Pistilli Realty Group, Pistilli is a member of the Special Counsel to the President of SHAREing and CAREing Organization and serving as its Master of Ceremonies at its annual fundraiser. He also served as a member of the Queens Chamber of
 
Commerce, the Queens Builders and Contractor’s Association, a member of the President’s Circle of New York Hospital of Queens, and has been honored by the Kiwanis Club in Queens County for his community involvement.

 

ED
 
ED PETROSKY, President & CEO
 
Edward M Petrosky has joined FCSB as their President and CEO in August 2017.
 
Prior to joining FCSB, Petrosky gained over 40 years of experience in the banking industry. He has held credit and risk management positions in the financial services industry, including money center, regional and community banks. He was previously President of Noah Bank in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania and served as President and CEO of United International Bank in Flushing, New York.
 
Petrosky served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hanover Community Bank from 2010 to 2012. He served as the Chief Risk Officer of Newtek Business Services Corp. since March 2013 to 2014. Mr. Petrosky served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Credit Officer of a number of successful turnaround situations and two start up banks and has 15 years’ experience as a Chief Credit/Chief Lending Officer in the banking industry.
 
Petrosky currently resides in Middletown, New Jersey.

 

MICHAEL
 
MICHAEL SERAO, SVP, Director of Retail Banking, First Central Savings Bank
NYC Commissioner of Deeds and Transfers
 
Michael Serao brings 16 years of banking experience to FCSB, including six years at Commerce Bank in Astoria and three years as Vice President of JPMorgan Chase Bank in Astoria.
 
Serao is the board director for the Kiwanis Club of Astoria/LIC, SHAREing & CAREing and also serves as an Advisory Board Member to Immaculate Conception School, President of the Ditmars Merchants Association, and as Chair for the Astoria Park Relay for Life. Additionally, Serao is a Charter Member of the Bayside-Whitestone Lions Club, Treasurer of the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club, a Board Director for the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, Board Director of QSAC and an active board member of Community Board 1.
 
Serao’s has worked actively in the LGBT Community as a former member of OUT Astoria and Former President of the Western Queens LGBT Democratic Club. He also works with children with Autism and senior citizens with disabilities.
 
Some of Serao’s honors include HX Magazine Businessman of the Year, Business Leadership Award from the Powhattan Democratic Club, and Man of the Year from the LIC KOC. In 2014, Serao was named by the Huffington Post as “The Banker Everyone Loves.” He was appointed by the New York Senate in 2015 to maintain a leadership position on the banking committee. Serao is currently serving his final term as a NYC Commissioner of Deeds.
 
He is the CEO and founder of Serao Enterprises and is also the President and an owner of Guy Lombardo Properties, along with his husband. Serao is a graduate of Queensborough Community College and currently resides in Hewlett Harbor with his husband, Dr. Fidel Abreu and his two dogs, Bernie, a St. Bernard and Coco, a cocker spaniel.

 

MARC
 
MARC LENO, Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer
 
Marc Leno is known as the people’s executive with over 30 years of experience in the banking industry. Marc is also an FCSB veteran having returned to the FCSB family as Executive Vice-President Chief Lending Officer in 2017. Previously, Marc served as Senior Executive for Brooklyn Federal Savings Bank and Vice-President Relationship Manager at Popular Community Bank.
 
In other words, Marc wants your borrowing experience to be pleasant and efficient. You won’t find of layers of bureaucracy at FCSB. Have a question or concern? You can pickup the phone and reach him directly. That’s the FCSB difference. It’s about accountability where it matters the most.
 
By getting to know borrowers in all stages of life, Marc’s commitment to customer and community as the new Chief Lending Officer has not only brought him back to FCSB, but has renewed his vow to streamlining the lending process, increasing speed of the process, and certainty of execution.
 
Marc holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Old Westbury. He started his Banking career with National Westminster Bank and has been involved in all facets of banking; including commercial lending, credit administration and as a senior management member at various financial institutions.
 
Marc has been actively involved volunteering in higher education, most notably serving as Board Chairman of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, a nonprofit organization which enables people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put experience and research knowledge to work. When not at FCSB, Marc likes to visit his daughter Madeline, a teacher in Tel Aviv, as well as spending time with his son, Andrew, who is studying for his Doctorate in School Psychology from Fordham University.

 

Meet the staff

 

USHA
 
Usha BalrupBusiness Development Officer, Astoria/Ditmars Branches
 
Usha Balrup is one of FCSB’s newest Business Development Officers, joining the team in the fall of 2017. Before joining FCSB, Balrup was working for Sterling National Bank as a Vice President/Managing Director for six years. Before her time at Sterling National Bank, she worked at Capital One Bank as a Vice President/Branch Manager for fifteen years. Balrup has been an active member of the Jackson Heights Business Association for six years. She has also been active in FCSB’s pajama drive by presenting a flat screen TV on behalf of FCSB to the Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization in Astoria that collects pajamas and books for underprivileged children during the holidays.
 
 

DAWN
 
Dawn GiudiceBusiness Development Officer, Flushing Branch
 
Dawn Giudice joined FCSB in September 2014. She ensures the overall success, growth & profitability of the branch. Giudice brings extensive experience in all aspects of branch operations, sales, and customer service within the retail banking industry. Prior to joining FCSB, Giudice served Wells Fargo as a Service Manager and at New York Community Bank as an Assistant Branch Manager.Outside of FCSB, Giudice serves on the executive board of the Alpha Theta Beta Sorority Alumnae of Hofstra University. She is also active in the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Nassau County Harley Owners Group #1797 and the Long Island Corvette Owners Association (LICOA).
 
 

ANNAMARIE
 
Anna-Marie Vallone, Business Development Officer, Bayside/Whitestone Branches
 
Anna-Marie Vallone joined FCSB as a Vice President and a Business Development Officer for the Bayside and Whitestone branches. She oversees growing market share, manages client relationships, and provides clients with broad based banking solutions. Before joining the bank, Vallone was in the banking business for 18 years,working for companies such as EAB, JPMorgan Chase, Commerce, and Sussex Bank. Outside of FCSB, Vallone has been an active member of the Bayside-Whitestone Lions Club. For Anna-Marie, The Lions are a source for helping build our community, but most of all, a way of giving back to the neighborhood.
 
 

ADRIAN
 
Adrian JonesBusiness Development Officer, Ridgewood Branch
 
Adrian Jones has been with FCSB as a Business Development Officer for 3 months. Jones brings 10 years worth of experience from working for Chase and Capital One. Before joining FCSB, Jones took a break from his banking career, taking a year and a half off to go the entrepreneur route. During that time, he started two successful businesses and gained a vast amount of knowledge from that experience. When approached by Michael Serao to join FCSB, Jones saw this as a great opportunity to share what he’s learned and help others. Jones is currently a member of the Greater NY Chamber of Commerce and regularly attends the Ridgewood Community Board Meetings.
 
 

JEFFREY
 
Jeffrey DobermanBusiness Development Officer, Forest Hills Branch
 
Jeffrey Doberman joined FCSB in November 2017 and brings over 20 years of experience. That experience has allowed him to assist numerous small to mid size businesses in all of their changing and growing financial needs. This personal involvement creates lasting business relationships that lead to success for all involved. The less complicated method is my approach. Doberman believes that making business relationships friendly and community involvement leads to lasting working relationships. He is a member the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce and is looking towards and assisting in the future growth of this community and its businesses.
 
 

About our branches

 

With eight locations, FCSB can easily serve residents throughout Queens and Nassau County. Each location of FCSB seeks to help you get exactly what you need out of your banking experience, regardless of where you live.
 
The Glen Cove Branch serves as FCSB’s headquarters. As you walk into the bank’s only Long Island location, you can expect good old-fashioned personal service with a smile. FCSB’s executive offices sit above the Glen Cove location. Just like with their branches, they seek to take away the big bank mentality that you come to expect from the bigger chain banks that you see throughout the country. If you’re experiencing a problem with your account, you can trust that you’ll speak to a human being on the other side of the phone, helping you with whatever you need.
 
Each location holds the values of FCSB’s mission. For the customer’s convenience, each location has a 24-hour ATM, allowing them to take out money whenever they need to.
 
Queens has become a hotspot for Hollywood in the past few years. They’ve used local buildings and businesses to help set the stage, and FCSB is no exception. Due to its unique structure and architecture, the Astoria branch of FCSB, located at 35-01 30th Ave., has been used as a backdrop for a number of television shows and movies. In 2014, the branch was used to film a robbery scene for the hit NBC fictional crime show ‘The Blacklist.’
 
There are other locations that have been featured in film and television. Netflix subscribers can look forward to seeing the Forest Hills branch of FCSB in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film ‘The Irishman.’ The film, which stars Hollywood great Robert De Niro, has been filming throughout the borough of Queens all summer.
 
For more information about the FCSB branches, visit MYFCSB.com or stop by your local branch.
 
Glen Cove Executive Offices & Branch, 70 Glen St., Glen Cove, 516-609-3500

Whitestone Branch, 19-19 Francis Lewis Blvd., Whitestone, 718-352-7100

Astoria Branch, 35-01 30th Ave., Astoria, 718- 204-7444

Ridgewood Branch, 58-02 Myrtle Ave., Ridgewood, 718-366-8008

Bayside Branch, 42-12 Bell Blvd., Bayside, 718-225-2650

Flushing Branch, 72-76 Main St., Flushing, 718-261-6360

Ditmars Branch, 37-28 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, 718-932-6484

Forest Hills Branch, 71-66 Austin St., Forest Hills, 718-261-5095
 
 

 
 
First Central Savings Bank gives back
 
FCSB and its employees are committed to making their communities better.
 
As a proud supporter of many local non-profits, FCSB makes it their mission to give back in any way that they can. Through their Nonprofit Donation Program, they are able to support nonprofits focusing on youth, education, the LGBT community, and family support services throughout Queens and Long Island.
 
In October 2017, FCSB donated a total of $14,510 to 8 nonprofit organizations, including Immigration Advocacy Services Inc. of Queens, a Not-for-Profit Immigration Outreach Center providing constituents with all questions regarding immigration, and the Long Island Crisis Center, which provides 24/7, free, confidential and non-judgmental programs and services for the Long Island and Queens Community. Other recipients included the Metro Boys and Girls Club of Queens, Angels on the Bay, and the Astoria – Long Island City Kiwanis.
 
These nonprofits share FCSB’s mission to improve the lives of the people in the communities they serve. They work hard to ensure they are always refining, expanding and identifying community needs, in order to provide the best, quality services while continuing to grow their financial resources.
 
“As a community bank with long-standing ties to the neighborhoods we serve, we feel it is our responsibility to help community-based organizations in their mission to provide support services and advocacy assistance that empower people,” said Michael Serao, Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for FCSB. “We donated to local community providers as a small thank you for all the hard work and dedication they put into improving the health and lives of our community members, especially the youth. Providing services is an important part of building a strong and healthy community and it is an honor to be able to contribute to these organizations.”
 


 
FCSB’s philanthropy doesn’t stop with their monetary donations. This past September, FCSB donated a coin-counting machine to the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens to count collected coin donations, providing a new source of revenue to fund after-school programs.
 
Established in 1957, the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens serves children from all neighborhoods in New York City. With the help of the new coin-counting machine, the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens can now people to donate their coins to the campaign, which will be collected and counted to fund after-school programs for young people.
 
“FCSB is always looking for ways to support the communities that we serve, and the coin-counting machine donation is just one more way of accomplishing that,” said Serao. “We’re pleased to support the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens and other local organizations that impact the lives of our local residents, and hope many more people will utilize the coin donation collection points to help the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens serve the community.”
 
In addition to the coin-counting machine, FCSB placed donation bins in JFK Airport Terminal 5 as well as in high-traffic stores and community spaces in Queens in an effort to support Boys & Girls Club programming.
 
“I’m very grateful that FCSB chose to donate to us with their coin-counting machine. We’ll put the collected donations to work helping youth in our community.” said David Kupecky, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens.
 

 
In an effort to reach out to new U.S citizens and to spawn the next crop of small businesses and grow the personal wealth of citizens and green-card holders, FSCB is active in the Immigration Advocacy Services Inc., a not-for-profit immigration outreach center. Through their partnership, FCSB provides the nonprofit with a literacy program to help America’s newest citizens to educate themselves about the programs and services that the bank offers to help start, grow and expand small businesses. The program also aids in building personal wealth with practical money skills, which will help them integrate into the U.S. economy.
 
By the end of the program, participants are equipped to take charge and improve their understanding of financial concepts and services so they are empowered to make informed choices to improve their financial well-being.
 
“With more than a quarter-century of dedication to community banking, FCSB continues its legacy of service with commitment to providing financial education and practical information to new customers at all financial levels, regardless of immigration status” said Serao.
 
In addition to supporting literacy for new citizens, FCSB supports literacy for local students. Michael Serao was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Freeport Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds innovative educational programs that provide extraordinary learning experiences for students in the Freeport Public Schools.
 
“I am immensely proud of this nomination from the Freeport Educational Foundation,” said Serao. “Our bank is dedicated to and actively engaged in organizations and activities that support our community and make it a better place to live and work.”
 

 
Members of FCSB’s staff are incredibly active in the communities they serve. Michael Serao, a graduate of Queensborough Community College, delivered a keynote address to the school’s Vicki Kasomenakis Business Society on Sept. 19, 2017.
 
In the address, Serao took time to describe the philosophy of community banking at First Central Savings and the importance of building personal, one on one relationships to the business students. Serao also announced the kickoff of recruitment for the First Central Savings Bank internship program.
 
FCSB’s employees have been recognized for their work in community. On Oct. 5, the Astoria-LIC Kiwanis Club recognized Ara Yegoryan, newly hired assistant branch manager of First Central Savings Bank in Astoria, as “Our Future Astoria-Long Island City Kiwanis Community Leader.”
 
Yegoryan, a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club, was presented with the award at the club’s 30th Anniversary Cocktail Party at Riccardo’s By The Bridge. The award ceremony recognizes individuals who have made contributions to the Astoria and LIC community through substantive achievements in their career and community arenas.
 
“We are immensely proud of Ara’s accomplishments as a leader in the Kiwanis and as a trusted voice in the Astoria community which reflects our philosophy of community banking. He knows all his clients by name, and they know him,” said Serao.
 
During the holiday season, every branch of FCSB serves as a drop-off site for three community drives. Residents can drop off canned goods, which will be donated to Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC), toys for the Family Service League’s Project Toy drive, and pajamas and books for the Pajama Program.