Newtown Savings Bank has remained busy and engaged both internally and externally while much of the rest of the local, national, and international world of banking and finance has been weathering the storm of the large scale crises facing those industries.

The community bank announced this week that it has promoted William Hart to vice president-mortgage banking at Newtown Savings Bank. He joined the bank in June 1995, and has been a top mortgage producer both in the bank and the State of Connecticut for many of his 13 years in the industry.

Mr Hart holds a bachelor of science degree from Elon College.

James Whitley was also recently promoted, to vice president-small business loan officer. He joined the bank’s commercial lending team in April 2002 and has been a top performer in the area of small business lending.

Mr Whitley is a recognized expert in small business loans, and holds an MBA from the University of New Haven.

While the promotions may represent low-key goings-on within the bank’s personnel structure, Newtown Savings Bank has also struck up a partnership with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. This professional hockey franchise is a top affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

The new partnership is keyed to the bank’s new Great Checks-Great Checking promotion, playing on the hockey terminology in its collateral advertising campaign.

According to Tanya Wulff Truax, vice president/marketing and public relations, anyone who opens a new checking account at Newtown Savings Bank will receive two free tickets to any 2008-2009 regular season Sound Tigers hockey game.

Bank President John Trentacosta said working with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers is a great opportunity for the community bank. “When you go to a game and look at the crowd, you’ll see local families and business people having a great time,” he said. “This is the base that we strive to serve as a community bank,”

Sound Tigers President Howard Saffan agreed.

“We originally thought about the Great Checks-Great Checking promotion as a joint effort with many partners,” Mr Saffan said. “After speaking with Newtown Savings Bank, we decided to work with just one bank, Newtown Savings, because their people, their checking programs, simply are a great fit with our team and our fans.”

For more information visit nsbonline.com, soundtigers.com, or call 800-461-0672.

Newtown Savings Bank is a mutual community bank headquartered in Newtown, with more than $930 million in assets. Established in 1855, the bank has thirteen branches in Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Monroe, Newtown, Shelton, Southbury, Trumbull, and Woodbury.