Happy Holidays!

On behalf of all of us here at Five Star and its family of companies, I would like to sincerely thank you for placing your trust in us. It is a true privilege to be your financial partner and one that we do not take lightly.

Our more than 200-year history and commitment to serving Western New York, the Finger Lakes region and the Southern Tier has shaped who we are today and has allowed us to serve generations. Today, we are a $6.1 billion financial institution that is growing its reach, both physically and digitally, to better serve you – our valued customers – while staying true to our community-focused roots.  

2023 was full of exciting and innovative initiatives here at Five Star. In January, we opened a new loan production office in Syracuse, expanding our reach in Central New York and enhancing our ability to bring our relationship-based approach to new commercial customers. We also announced the merger of our two well-regarded wealth management firms under the Courier Capital name. Now one of the largest registered investment advisory firms in Western New York with assets under management of approximately $2.7 billion as of September 30, 2023, Courier Capital provides customized investment management, financial planning and consulting services to individuals and families, businesses, institutions, nonprofits and retirement plans.

As our company has grown, so has our capacity to give back. This year we were proud to make a significant investment supporting financial literacy. Our new online Financial Education Hub serves as a dedicated resource designed to help our customers and community members strengthen their financial journey. This year we also expanded our Volunteering is Work of HEART event into a full week, with associates volunteering for 35 organizations across our footprint. I invite you to read about these and other initiatives in our recently published 2023 Community Report.

Behind each of these accomplishments is a hardworking team of 650 of my fellow Five Star associates. I am unbelievably proud of their efforts in what has been a challenging economic environment and am so grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them every day to support our customers and communities.

As we head into a New Year, full of exciting opportunities and different challenges, we do so as a stronger and growing company. On behalf of Five Star Bank, Courier Capital and SDN Insurance®, thank you for choosing us. We wish you a joyous holiday season and look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2024.