Walden Mutual Bank

10/27/2023

We are cultivating a community of Partner Businesses across sustainable farms, food brands, environmentally-focused nonprofits, sustainability consulting firms, mission-aligned investors, emerging climate companies, food startups, and many more!

As a mutual bank, our model works best when more people come to the table. Do you own a business? Do you have family or friends who are owners or operators? Or maybe you work at a company and would love to see your employer bank with a mission-aligned financial institution. Email us at [email protected] to learn about the perks of being one of our Partner Businesses!

10/16/2023

“We can raise local, grass-fed lamb in there while producing renewable electricity. I love sheep, but I love that bigger picture story even more.”

Our Partners, Jesse and Desiree Robertson-Dubois, run together with their family. With their herds of sheep and goats they are able to replace landscaping work normally done with mowers with a sustainable solution that takes advantage of the microclimates under solar arrays.

With Walden Mutual, your savings are transformed into loans for sustainable, local food businesses across New England and New York like Finicky Farm.

08/02/2023

Did you hear us today on WBUR 90.9 FM? We were thrilled to be on Radio Boston alongside Polkadog's Deb Suchman. Listen to our segment here and thank you to Tiziana Dearing and Amanda Beland for the feature!

We take a look at a newly opened bank in New Hampshire called Walden Mutual that's focused on building the region's agricultural ecosystem one deposit and investment at a time.

06/16/2023

"At its simplest, we’re sort of trying to match deposits with loans that have similar duration. By asking people to make longer term commitments we are in turn able to make longer term commitments to, say, a farm that doesn’t have an income profile strong enough to support a 10 or 15 year loan but can supply the cash payments for a 30 year loan.” Thank you to Dave Brooks and The Concord Monitor for featuring our 100-year CD! Reach us at [email protected] to learn more and reserve yours.

It sounds like some sort of gimmick or maybe a typo, but the CEO of Walden Mutual Bank says its new 100-year CD makes sense even if you don’t plan to live for a century.“Alongside a portfolio of stocks and bonds and such, it is an economically...

06/06/2023

Announcing our first-of-its-kind 100 Year Grow Local CD - start your legacy in the local food ecosystem. In 1790, just before he died, Ben Franklin bequeathed 1,000 pounds sterling (roughly $4,000 at the time) to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia. By 1994, these trust funds were worth some $6.5 million. With us, watch your $10,000 deposit turn into $1.05 million while making a lasting impact for your beneficiaries and region. Read more here and contact us at [email protected] to reserve your spot!

Start your legacy in our local food ecosystem. In 1790, just before he died, Ben Franklin bequeathed 1,000 pounds sterling (roughly $4,000 at the time) to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia. By 1994, these trust funds were worth some $6.5 million. With us, watch your $10,000 deposit turn into $1....

05/15/2023

We've partnered with Bank.Green! As part of their Fossil Free Alliance we have pledged not to finance new fossil fuel companies or projects. We are thrilled to be in the company of some of the world's most progressive green banks as part of the Bank.Green ecosystem. Even more, we are committed to using money to enable the flourishing of our regional food system. Read more below!

Walden Mutual Bank is a sustainable bank focused on our future. Learn more about our partnership with Bank.Green, a non-profit tackling the climate crisis.

05/11/2023

Thank you to Anne Richardson and Richardson Media Group for featuring Charley in the most recent episode of the B Suite Podcast! It's always wonderful connecting with other mission-driven organizations - especially one right here in the Granite State. Listen to the conversation below!

There’s a difference between being good with your money and doing good with your money!

In the latest BSuite episode, Anne interviews Charley Cummings, CEO of Walden Mutual Bank, a cooperative bank stewarding change through their actionable support of sustainable farms and food businesses. 🧑‍🌾

Anne and Charley take a deep dive into:
🌍 Sustainable alternatives to traditional banking models
🏦 What goes into building a mutual bank from the ground up
🏭 The hidden carbon impact of banking
💸 The process of adapting B Corp values to a financial institution

PLUS: how a kid from Cape Cod became a mission-driven leader in the divergent industries of food and finance

Visit to listen: https://loom.ly/xD3mKhI

03/21/2023

The Silicon Valley Bank story has plenty of moving parts - from financial decisions made 2-3 years ago to rising interest rates and a $42 billion mass withdrawal of funds. We hope this crisis is a wake up call: Where you bank matters! It is not only important to bank somewhere committed to your best interests and the safety of your deposits, but it is also one of the most impactful purchasing decisions you can make from an environmental perspective. Read more here:

Where you bank matters. It is not only important to bank somewhere committed to your best interests and the safety of your deposits, but it is also one of the most impactful purchasing decisions you can make from an environmental perspective. As Kat Taylor and Bill McKibben described persuasively in...

03/17/2023

"I don’t think we want the banking system to collapse into four global banks. Food and Ag lending is specialized – and requires people immersed in the business. This is true of other verticals as well – where your lender can walk in the trenches with you, and truly understand the metrics that drive your business, and offer general support and counsel as much as a loan, they can be a true business partner."

The recent SVB news is proof that where you bank matters - both as an individual and a business. Thank you to Regenerative Food Systems Investment for the interview - read more below!

As the nation and world reflects on what the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) means for start-ups, businesses, and banking, we were wondering what exactly this tells us about our broken finance…

03/13/2023

Thank you to Dr. Anthony Gustin for featuring Charley on The Natural State. Listen to the story of Charley's work with Walden Local Meat Co. and the transition to mutual banking:

Founder of Walden Local and Walden Mutual, Charley Cummings, discusses how he’s fixing the local food system in his area and supporting local farmers.

02/28/2023

We are committed to measuring and valuing growth holistically - a commitment that many of our Partner Businesses have already been making for a long time. As Phyllis Van Amburgh explains it, when growing Dharma Lea dairy "their mentors encouraged them to 'look at something bigger than our day-to-day cash flow. And beyond measuring the pounds in the tank—which, I gotta tell you, is a really hard habit to break when that’s what makes the whole thing turn.'”

Thank you to Anne Connor and Modern Farmer for featuring us in this thoughtful piece on sustainable financing. Read more here!

Dharma Lea, a regenerative grass-fed dairy farm in New York, is operated by Phyllis and Paul Van Amburgh. They milk 200 cows and have little interest in

02/23/2023

Officially open! See our latest story in the New Hampshire Union Leader here. Our first few weeks are off to an exciting start!

Feb. 21—Walden Mutual Bank, the first mutual bank chartered in the state in a century and the first in the country since 1973, is now open to the public. In October, the bank received final approvals from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the state Banking Department. The bank's motto ...