The U.S. Treasury is giving a $15 million loan to River Valley Bank. The bank says the loan will give them enough capital to give out about $120 million in loans to local businesses and consumers.

That money could help employers expand and create new jobs or help people get a mortgage on a new home.

The money comes from the Capital Purchase Program, which loans money to smaller, healthy banks like River Valley Bank.

"In our situation, we're well capitalized, and because of that we qualify for this. This was an option, we chose to participate in this," says River Valley Bank Chairman Todd Nicklaus.

Nicklaus says the money is not a gift from the government, and they will be paying it back.

River Valley Bank has locations throughout the Wausau area, Merrill, Tomahawk, Minocqua, and Eagle River.