We’re proud to announce that we have entered into a new corporate partnership with Marquette University. It’s an agreement that we believe is a unique, mission-oriented relationship that aims to serve Marquette students and the broader community.

Under the agreement, our Wisconsin-based Town Bank will be Marquette's exclusive commercial and retail banking partner. The partnership also goes beyond banking and includes an investment over 10 years to fund student scholarships, athletic and educational programming, and other campus-oriented events.

"The Marquette University partnership with Wintrust and Town Bank couldn't be a better fit. Marquette is committed to setting its students up for success and so are we," said Wintrust President and CEO Edward J. Wehmer. "We're proud to not only offer great banking services to Marquette students, but also provide tools to help give students in need a leg up, like scholarship funding for first-generation and Milwaukee and Chicagoland low income families. We're an institution the Marquette community can count on."

Town Bank has been expanding its presence and operations in downtown Milwaukee and also has offices in Walworth, Dane, Waukesha and Racine counties. We were chosen by university leaders for our commitment to providing Marquette with services beyond banking through our community-oriented mission.

"Partnering with Marquette University fits well with the mission and values of Town Bank and Wintrust. Just as the university seeks to extend its boundaries beyond the campus, we, too, want to extend our presence beyond our brick and mortar branches," said Jay Mack, president and CEO of Town Bank.

In addition to the scholarship aid commitment, the partnership includes several other key agreements:

• Town Bank will become the official commercial and retail banking partner of Marquette Athletics.
• Wintrust and Town Bank will invest in the College of Business Administration's burgeoning commercial banking program.
• Wintrust and Town Bank will set aside seed funding for a small business revolving loan fund and will engage with banking program students to administer low-cost small business loans to enterprises located in surrounding neighborhoods, including the Near West Side.

Transition work will begin this spring 2018 and is expected to be complete this summer. We look forward to a great partnership with the Marquette community.