Orange Bank & Trust named among New York’s best employers

Orange Bank & Trust Company has been named to the 2026 Best Companies to Work for in New York list, a recognition that says as much about the Hudson Valley labor market as it does about the bank itself. For a Middletown-based institution with 17 offices across Orange, Rockland, Westchester and the Bronx, the honor is a public test of whether the bank can keep hiring, keep employees, and keep pace in a competitive market where workplace reputation can influence who applies and who stays.

The Best Companies to Work for in New York program has operated since 2008 and is managed by Best Companies Group. Winners are recognized by the Rochester Business Journal, BridgeTower Media, Best Companies Group and NYS-SHRM. Orange Bank & Trust said the 2026 recognition followed similar honors in 2024 and 2025, making this a repeat signal rather than a one-time boost to its brand.

That matters in Orange County because the bank is not just a lender. It is an employer, a business banking partner and a visible institutional presence in Middletown, where it says it has operated for more than 134 years. Founded by 14 founders in 1892, the company now says it serves thousands of clients across the Lower and Mid-Hudson Valley and employs hundreds of professionals. Its parent, Orange County Bancorp, Inc., says it has about $2.5 billion in total assets.

Workplace awards can be read as soft news, but they carry hard business implications. In banking, where relationship managers, branch staff, credit analysts and operations workers can move quickly to competitors, a steady stream of recognition can help recruitment and retention. It can also bolster the bank’s standing with small businesses and nonprofits that increasingly look for institutions with local roots and stable leadership rather than a short-term sales culture.

That leadership piece has become more visible this year. In January, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Gilfeather was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a Class A director, a post that places Orange Bank & Trust closer to the region’s financial center of gravity. Taken together with the latest workplace ranking, the move reinforces the bank’s message that it is trying to present itself not just as a local lender, but as a durable Hudson Valley institution with broader regional influence.