SBA names First American Bank top rural lender

New Mexico Business Weekly - First American Bank in Artesia has been named the Community/Rural lender of the year for fiscal year 2011 by the U.S. Small Business Administration. New Mexico’s oldest community bank, First American had the highest number of SBA-backed loans in New Mexico for FY11, the SBA said in a news release. The release did not say how much the bank loaned in FY11. First American, with $624 million in deposits, is New Mexico’s fourth largest community bank. It has 15 offices, including two in Albuquerque, one in Rio Rancho and one in Los Lunas. The bank received the award in Washington, D.C., as part of the SBA’s national Small Business Week event. For the first six months of FY12, First American made 11 SBA-backed loans for a total of $1.6 million, according to the SBA. It ranked third in the number of loans and fifth in the dollar amount during the period, according to the SBA. Read More News New Mexico

SBA names First American Bank top rural lender