GREEN BAY, Wis., Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Associated Bank has been recognized for the seventh consecutive year as the number one mortgage lender in Wisconsin through the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). In 2014, Associated Bank closed 6,945 loans for a total of $1.28 billion.

"Associated Bank is a strong housing advocate that supports a broad range of programing because we believe in homeownership and revitalization as it helps stabilize families, facilitate neighborhood improvements and empower people to live their dream of owning a home," said David Stein, executive vice president, head of consumer and commercial banking, Associated Bank.

Stein said the company has partnered with several community home counseling partners to host dozens of home buyer seminars and housing fairs for prospective homebuyers and financial literacy workshops for local consumers.

In a prominent Milwaukee-area program last year, Associated Bank partnered with Brewers Community Foundation in a campaign to help stabilize and revive neighborhoods. A "Hits for Homes" program at home Brewers games resulted in a joint donation of $100,000 to Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI), a non-profit organization that provides support to low- to moderate-income homeowners and home buyers in Milwaukee.

Both HRI and the Financial Services Roundtable further provided special recognition to Associated Bank for its neighborhood-strengthening program.

"Our success in enabling home ownership correlates to a stable economy," said Sara J. Walker, CFA, senior vice president and investment officer, Associated Bank. "People are working and have the confidence to take out mortgages and that directly correlates to a strong housing industry and additional job creation."

According to Walker, home building, multifamily development and remodeling expenditures together contribute to about 3.40% of nominal U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Also, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that building an average single-family home generates 2.97 full-time jobs.

"Associated Bank has been helping customers buy and stay in their homes for the past 150 years, and thanks to the support of great community partners, we look forward to continuing with this success," said Stein.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of $27 billion and is one of the top 50, publicly traded, U.S. bank holding companies. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from over 200 banking locations serving more than 100 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at www.associatedbank.com.

Contact: Jennifer Kaminski
Vice President | Public Relations Manager
920-491-7576
Jennifer.Kaminski@associatedbank.com

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SOURCE Associated Banc-Corp