As the COVID-19 pandemic began to rattle businesses nationwide and the federal government launched its Paycheck Protection Program, businesses in Maryland and beyond struggled to process their applications. The PPP program was launched in April 2020, but some businesses said their applications were delayed — in part because they could not find banks that accepted applications, and many banks weren't set up to do so. John Lewis, president and chief operating officer of the Harbor Bank of Maryland, said his bank not only accepted PPP applications, but his employees went out of their way to help qualified business owners, regardless of whether they were Harbor Bank customers. Harbor Bank — co-founded by Baltimore native Joseph Haskins Jr. 39 years ago — is the only Black-owned and -managed commercial bank in Maryland. Haskins is the chairman and CEO of the company, which was founded to provide capital to individuals who historically lacked it, Lewis said. Headquartered in downtown Baltimore, Harbor Bank now has six locations, mostly in the city.