BBVA USA to donate $250K through its foundation, offers customer assistance in wake of Winter Storm Uri
As Texas deals with Winter Storm Uri and its ripple effects, BBVA USA has announced it will donate a total of $250,000 toward community relief efforts through the BBVA Foundation, and has begun offering customer assistance in the form of payment deferrals and fee waivers, among other items.
"We wanted to act quickly to help our customers and communities through various avenues..."
“This has been a challenging week for so many people across Texas, and we wanted to act quickly to help our customers and communities through various avenues,” said BBVA USA President and CEO Javier Rodriguez Soler. “Uri was a devastating winter storm with widespread negative impact that has left many people cold, hungry, and scared. We’re committed to working with multiple organizations to help people get the essentials they need to get back on their feet. We’re also intently listening to the specific needs of our customers as they look for ways to alleviate financial stress during this crisis.”
BBVA USA will continue to monitor the ongoing situation and its impact in the coming days and weeks in order to continue to respond appropriately to community and customer needs.
Community Commitment
As a first step in its response to the winter storm and its ongoing aftermath, BBVA USA is committing $250,000 from the BBVA Foundation to a select group of non-profit organizations working to address immediate needs. The Foundation will fast-track $125,000 in funding for area food banks across the state, including $50,000 to the Houston Food Bank, along with another $125,000 for immediate home repair needs.
Organizations receiving grants to help with home repairs include West Street Recovery in Houston and Affordable Homes of South Texas.
"We’ll continue to work with these established partners to identify needs as the situation evolves..."
“We are working swiftly through nonprofit partner relationships across Texas to identify and fill immediate food shortages and help the most impacted members of our communities fix their homes and rebuild as quickly as possible,” said BBVA USA Director of Communications and Responsible Business J. Reymundo Ocañas. “This is a rare and dire situation for many Texans, so we’ll continue to work with these established partners to identify needs as the situation evolves and to deploy support as quickly as possible.”
Additional organizations are currently being identified as the bank works to finalize its list of grant recipients.
Customer support
BBVA USA is offering special customer assistance to those affected by the winter storm whose primary residence is in Texas. Assistance is available through March 31 to existing bank customers, upon request, at BBVA USA branch locations or by phone.
Assistance offered to consumers and small businesses includes:
- Penalty-free CD withdrawals*
- Refunds on certain ATM, overdraft and insufficient funds fees
- Payment deferrals on existing loans and credit cards
- Waived late fees on loans, credit cards
For payment deferral requests, customers can contact 844-222-3862. Customers can also contact consumer credit card services at 1-800-239-5175 and business credit card services at 1-800-316-0207.
The availability of some offers may differ from the March 31 date. Offers are based on eligibility and certain limits apply. Customers are encouraged to call or visit a branch for more information.