Customers Bank to provide additional $75,000 in scholarships to students at Philadelphia’s Zion Baptist Church over three years

Philadelphia, Pa. (Nov. 19, 2018) – Four Philadelphia students, members of Zion Baptist Church, will each receive $5,000 scholarships to the school of their choice. The scholarships honor the memory of former pastor, civil rights leader and social activist Dr. Leon H. Sullivan. Customers Bank is funding the scholarships as part of it's ongoing commitment to children and education.

Customers Bank has committed to awarding up to $75,000 in scholarships over this and the next two years. This announcement raises Customers Bank's commitment to fund scholarships in Dr. Sullivan's memory to a total of $175,000.

"We greatly admire Dr. Sullivan who, as a civil rights leader and social activist, inspired positive changes in a constructive manner in our community and the world," stated Richard "Dick" Ehst, President and Chief Operating Officer of Customers Bank. "Our hope, in establishing and continuing to support these important academic scholarships in Dr. Sullivan's memory, is that the students will follow in Dr. Sullivan's steps and have a significant impact in our community in a constructive and lasting way."

The Dr. Leon H. Sullivan Scholarships were awarded by Ehst, during the Worship through Sharing Section of services yesterday. "We are so proud of these bright and enormously talented students," said Ehst. "Sharing with these impressive young people of Zion Baptist Church and the surrounding neighborhood is tremendously rewarding."

The scholarship recipients are:

• Christina Kingsberry, a graduate of William Penn Charter, who is studying biology at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.
• Cameron Mole, a former recipient of the Dr. Leon H. Sullivan scholarship, is currently attending Roman Catholic High School.
• Kayla Spruel, a Philadelphia native and graduate of Upper Darby High School, who is studying nursing at Delaware State University.
• Jelani Wheeler, a graduate of Vivian Gaither High School, is a former recipient of the Dr. Leon H. Sullivan scholarships and is attending Florida A&M University.

The recipients of the 2018 scholarships were selected with the assistance of a special scholarship committee, which monitors the program. Members of the scholarship committee include Mike Quick, former professional football player with the Philadelphia Eagles; Wendell Whitlock, owner of Progress Plaza in North Philadelphia; George VanNorton of Zion Baptist Church; Dick Ehst, President and Chief Operating Officer of Customers Bank; Varsovia Fernandez Senior Vice President, Philadelphia Market Leader of Customers Bank; Joseph Schupp, Senior Vice President, Community Development Officer for Customers Bank; and Alex Mammelis, Vice President, Fair and Responsible Banking Officer for Customers Bank.

The award is open to students between the ages of 15 and 25 who have a minimum 3.0 grade point average at an accredited education institution at the time of their application. Scholarship winners who maintain their achievement are eligible to apply in subsequent years as they complete their undergraduate education.

About Customers Bank

Customers Bank is a super-community bank with $10.6 billion in assets as of September 30, 2018, offering commercial and consumer banking services along the I-95 corridor from Washington, DC to Boston; and in Chicago. Commercial products include cash management; commercial and industrial loans; small business loans; SBA government-guaranteed loans; commercial and multi-family real estate loans; and financing for leasing businesses and residential developers.

Customers Bank provides consumer banking services including savings, checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; residential mortgages; and consumer loans. Additional consumer products are marketed by BankMobile, BankMobile Vibe, and Ascent.

Customers Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Customers Bank is an equal opportunity lender. Customers Bank takes pride in delivering extremely high levels of customer service while charging comparatively very low fees; service that makes our clients say, "Wow."

Commercial clients enjoy Single Point of Contact service with one team to handle all banking needs. Some retail bank clients are afforded Concierge Banking® Services that brings banking to them, when and where they need it. Customers Bank is a subsidiary of Customers Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company with its headquarters located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The voting common shares of Customers Bancorp, Inc. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUBI.

Customers Bank
1015 Penn Avenue
Wyomissing, PA 19610 Contact:
Richard Ehst
President & COO
610-917-3263