Featured Member: Mascoma Bank
Our featured member, Mascoma Bank, has been part of the financial fabric of northern New England for well over a century, and its Littleton office at 8 Main Street has served local customers since 1966. What sets this institution apart is not just its longevity, but the unusual way it is structured. Mascoma Bank answers to its depositors and communities rather than to shareholders, and that difference shapes nearly everything it does.
More Than 125 Years of Local Banking
Mascoma Bank was formed in 1899 by a group of local, civic-minded people in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where it remains headquartered today. The bank marked its 125th anniversary on April 8, 2024, a milestone few businesses in any industry ever reach.
The name itself is rooted in regional history. The bank is named for the chief of the Squakheag people, who traveled the fishing waters of the Connecticut River and its tributaries, including the Mascoma River. His image became the bank’s emblem when artist Bernard F. Chapman painted a historical mural commemorating the development of the Town of Lebanon, a 22-foot work now displayed at the bank’s operations center in White River Junction.
From those beginnings, the institution has grown into a significant regional presence. Mascoma Bank today reports roughly $3 billion in total assets and operates branches across New Hampshire and Vermont, with additional commercial banking operations in Portland, Maine.
Banking Services for Every Stage of Life
Mascoma Bank offers a full range of personal banking services, including checking and savings accounts, mortgages, auto loans, and other personal loans and credit options. Business customers can access business deposit accounts, business loans, and additional services designed to help companies grow, while Mascoma Wealth Management provides investment guidance and planning for life’s major events. The bank also supports customers through digital banking tools, financial wellness resources, and active fraud prevention education, making it easy to manage money securely from anywhere.
A Mutual Bank, Owned by Its Depositors
Mascoma Bank is a mutual savings bank, a structure that has become increasingly rare in American banking. The bank is mutually owned and not for sale. With no shareholders to satisfy, it is committed to remaining independent and reinvesting profits into the community. Instead of stockholders, the bank has corporation members, people connected to the community who understand the importance of the mutual model and who receive no payment for their role.
For customers, this translates into local decision making and long-term relationships. Loan decisions, business banking questions, and account concerns are handled by people who live and work in the same region as the customers they serve.
Business as a Force for Good
In 2017, Mascoma Bank became a Certified B Corporation, and it was the first bank regulated by the Federal Reserve to earn the certification. B Corp status requires rigorous, documented performance across governance, community, employees, customers, and the environment. Mascoma earned an overall B Impact score of 112.3, well above the median score of 50.9 for ordinary businesses completing the assessment.
The commitment shows up in concrete numbers. The bank’s annual giving budget is based on just over 10 percent of budgeted pre-tax income, and each year the bank and the Mascoma Bank Foundation donate more than $1 million to hundreds of area organizations. Bank team members contributed 5,000 hours volunteering on nonprofit boards in 2024. On the environmental side, solar panels installed at many branches deliver power back to the grid.
The bank’s reach extends beyond its home region through its subsidiary, Mascoma Community Development, which finances projects in underserved areas. Since 2014, Mascoma Community Development has been awarded $395 million in New Markets Tax Credits, including an eighth allocation of $85 million announced in January 2026.
Full-Service Banking on Main Street
The Littleton branch offers the complete range of Mascoma Bank services, including deposit products, loans, commercial banking, insurance, and wealth management, along with digital tools such as internet banking, mobile deposits, person to person payments, and cash management products. The office at 8 Main Street is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with drive-up service on Saturdays from 9:00 am to noon, and offers an ATM, night drop, safe deposit boxes, and a coin counter.
Looking Ahead
The bank continues to plan for the long term. In May 2026, Mascoma Bank and Androscoggin Bank announced a plan to combine their parent companies into a single mutual holding company structure, a move designed to strengthen both institutions while preserving the mutual model that has guided Mascoma since 1899.
