Independent Banker - December 2023 - 47

Despite the growing use of online banking
and mobile apps, the branch remains an
important part of community banks' retail
strategy. But how are these branches
changing? From making space available for
community groups and providing more selfservice
options for customers, these banks
are pushing their branches to the next level.
P
From left: First
State Community
Bank's Jennifer Lee,
chief operations
officer; Josh Carter,
director of retail;
and Dan Combs,
senior executive
vice president,
chief investment
officer at the bank's
Farmington, Mo.,
branch next to the
" community wall "
hysical branches, sometimes questioned as less
relevant in a digital world, are proving to be force
multipliers for community banks. Their sheer physical
presence matters.
" Branches signify to these markets that we're here for the long
haul and we're serious about being in these markets, " says Gregory
Wall, CIO of $550 million-asset Community State Bank in Union
Grove, Wis.
That presence can be invaluable in the current banking
environment. James Beckwith, CEO of $3.4 billion-asset Five
Star Bank in Sacramento, Calif., says that the failures of Signature
Bank and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in early 2023 underscored the
importance of projecting stability. " There was a crisis of confidence
[in the banking industry], and having the physical presence in your
markets and cities where customers are is even more important
now than it was a year ago, " he says.
Beckwith adds that branches offer unique opportunities for
community banks to expand both their reach and services. In fact,
in the wake of the market disruption, Five Star seized the day and
announced plans to open a branch in the San Francisco Bay Area.
" It's a great banking market, " Beckwith says. " We felt it was a
good time to get into that market, and you're not going to be able to
do it without a physical presence. "
Branches aren't disappearing, but they are evolving as
community banks become more sophisticated in using them to their
best advantage. Kevin Blair, president and CEO of NewGround,
a design-build firm, observes that digital experiences are
transactional and that people move and migrate rapidly, whereas
the physical world drives relationships.
independentbanker.org // 47

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Independent Banker - December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - December 2023

Contents
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Intro
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Cover1
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Cover2
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Contents
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 2
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 3
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 4
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 5
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 6
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 7
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 8
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 9
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 10
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 11
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 12
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 13
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 14
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 15
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 16
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 17
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 18
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 19
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 20
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 21
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 22
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 23
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 24
Independent Banker - December 2023 - FIS1
Independent Banker - December 2023 - FIS2
Independent Banker - December 2023 - FIS3
Independent Banker - December 2023 - FIS4
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 25
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 26
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 27
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 28
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 29
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 30
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 31
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 32
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 33
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 34
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 35
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 36
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 37
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 38
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 39
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 40
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 41
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 42
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 43
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 44
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 45
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 46
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 47
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 48
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 49
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 50
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 51
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 52
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 53
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 54
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 55
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 56
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 57
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 58
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 59
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 60
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 61
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 62
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 63
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 64
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 65
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 66
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 67
Independent Banker - December 2023 - 68
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Cover3
Independent Banker - December 2023 - Cover4
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