M&T donation boosts Millard Fillmore expansion

The M&T Charitable Foundation has pledged a $500,000 commitment to the $64 million expansion project at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

The new M&T Bank Atrium will be part of Kaleida Health's expansion and renovation of the hospital, located in Amherst. The addition of nearly 100,000 sq. ft. will include a new emergency department, new surgical suites, increased lab space and patient registration areas. Also, 60 patient beds will be transferred from within the Kaleida Health system to accommodate increased patient census.

"Knowing what's important to our community, our employees and their families is M&T Bank's motivation for lending our support to Kaleida Health," said Buford Sears, M&T Bank senior vice president & manager of the Healthcare Services Group. "By investing in this expansion project, we are making an investment in Kaleida Health and the future of healthcare for everyone in our community."

"Make ready" construction, to prepare the campus for the expansion project, began in January. This included the demolition of the residential properties at 1550 and 1600 Maple Road, realignment of the hospital's entrance and new parking spaces. Actual infrastructure improvements is now underway.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.