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Four decades later, Jeane Vidoni is watching a very different Lehigh Valley take shape—one where it's getting harder to leave amid a booming local economy.
"I just am so impressed with Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton," says the CEO of Penn Community Bank. "I think it might be the only market in Pennsylvania where they have more young people moving in than leaving."
Penn Community has been one of the quiet engines of that regional revival. Vidoni joined one of its predecessor institutions 20 years ago and helped shepherd the 110‑year‑old mutual through its 2015 merger and subsequent growth into the slightly more than $3 billion‑asset bank—up from $2.9 billion in 2024—with 21 branches stretching from Bucks County into the Lehigh Valley. Per Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. filings, the bank—now the fourth largest by assets among Pennsylvania savings institutions—grew its 2025 net interest income to $69.1 million in 2025, up from $59.7 million the prior year.
Under her leadership, Penn Community, headquartered in the Philly-adjacent boroughs of Bucks County, opened its first Allentown branch in 2024 and has steadily built a growing commercial banking franchise.
Commercial real estate loans now make up about $1.16 billion of the bank's $2.05 billion real estate portfolio as of June 2026. Penn has also leaned into C&I lending to privately held, locally run midsize firms, pairing credit with treasury management and cash flow tools.
The bank is on the must-call lists of area developers, including local investor J.B. Reilly, who is behind much of Allentown's downtown redevelopment and strives to include Penn and other regional institutions in CRE loan participation agreements, Vidoni says. "He goes the extra step because he wants to work with local banks," she said.
Homeownership and household stability remain central to the bank's mission. Penn Community's single‑family mortgage portfolio—$752.4 million at the midpoint of 2026—is seasoned with a large band of older, established homeowners in the fold, but "[we've] stayed relevant even with younger, first‑time homebuyers," Vidoni notes. "We have a home opportunity mortgage program, which gives them a head start."
Vidoni remains a visible community bank industry advocate. She now serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association's Federal Policy Committee, where she's shaping the community bank perspectives on fraud and
