WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Patrick St. Charles, III, President & CEO of Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Citizens Savings & Loan Corporation, received the Outstanding Independent Award last week during the American Financial Services Association’s (AFSA) 2018 Independents Conference & Exposition in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
The Outstanding Independent Award is given to an individual who has contributed significantly to the success of the financial services industry and the AFSA Independents Section through active involvement and participation in the community and the association. The award was presented by John W. Holden, Chairman, Pioneer/Mariner Group in Cleveland, Tennessee, the 1995 Outstanding Independent Award recipient.
St. Charles was elected to the Citizen’s Board in 1979, appointed Treasurer in 1992, CEO in 2003 and President in 2009. Citizens has been a member of AFSA since 1972. He has been actively involved in AFSA and the Independents Section for 25 years and currently serves on the AFSA Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He is also a strong supporter of the AFSAPAC and served on the Independents Section Board from 2011-2014.
In 2015, St. Charles testified for AFSA in front of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection and the Small Business Administration. He explained how the bureau’s small-dollar rule would hurt traditional installment lenders, particularly smaller lenders, and their customers.
St. Charles is also very involved at the state level. He is a member of the Tennessee Consumer Finance Association, serving as President in 2014.
Based in Washington, D.C., the American Financial Services Association (AFSA), founded in 1916, is the national trade association for the consumer credit industry, committed to protecting access to credit and consumer choice. Its 450 members include traditional installment lenders, vehicle finance/leasing companies, consumer and commercial finance companies, mortgage lenders and servicers, payment card issuers, industrial banks and industry suppliers. For more information, visit www.afsaonline.org.
