First Bank Hampton opens branch location in Latimer

First Bank Hampton isn't just in Hampton anymore. On Monday, April 5, the bank officially opened up their first branch office in Latimer.

"We felt it would be a good move for us and the community of Latimer," said First Bank Hampton's President and CEO, David Heuberger.

The new First Bank Hampton branch is located in the old First Citizens Bank. First Citizens expressed interest in selling the building last year, leading to First Bank Hampton getting in contact with them in early December to express their interest in taking over the location.

Once the deal was made, the First Citizens branch closed in February, with First Bank Hampton taking over the building in early March to start their renovations.

Now, after a month of work getting things ready, the Latimer branch of First Bank Hampton is ready to serve the community.

"It's been well received in the community," said Heuberger. "We should be able to hit the floor running." In preparing for the grand opening, the bank has made improvements to the building. Inside, the building has been wired for new internet and security and outside, a 24/7 ATM will be available and the drive-thru has been widened.

The Latimer branch will offer full servicing banking, with a full-time staff of four people to serve the community, including a loan officer. The bank will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every weekday and the drive-thru will be open until 5:00 p.m. on Fridays.

However, while some things have changed, other things will be the same. First Bank Hampton has retained the employees of the Latimer location. Office manager Deanna Koenen and customer service reps Carol Sandersfeld and Peggi Meyer are happy to be able to continue to serve Latimer's banking needs under the bank's new ownership.

"It's been a great experience working with First Bank Hampton," said Koenen.

This is the first branch office for First Bank Hampton and setting things up has proven to be quite the project. Particularly on the IT side to make sure the branch location could communicate with the Hampton office.

"It's been a flurry of activity the last months," said Senior Vice-President Tyler Heeren.

Special recognition was given to Brian Borcherding, the bank's Information Systems Officer, who has spearheaded the task of getting the branch office set up for everything from interoffice communications to public wi-fi.

"He's done a fantastic job getting us ready," said Heuberger.

In setting up the new branch, special effort was made to buy local whenever possible. Anything that could be purchased locally, from equipment to furnishings, was bought locally to cement their commitment to area businesses.

"It's important to us to support local businesses in Franklin County," said Heuberger.

Likewise, the bank is eager to become a more active player in the Latimer community, having recently made a $3.5K donation to West Franklin EMS. The bank has also given to the town's splash park and is planning a donation to the Latimer Fire Department.

"We want to serve the banking needs of the community, and to support the community," said Heuberger.

Though the bank is currently open for business, a proper open house is being planned for the mid-summer to celebrate the new branch office's opening.