Community banking begins with the customer, his or her wants and needs. It sounds simple, but most banks just don't get it. People want a bank where they're known by name and made to feel welcome as soon as they come in the door. When one of our staff says , "May I help you?" they really want to help you. No one ever has to pay a fee for using a teller. People want the kind of bank that will service them for life. Where parents can take their kids to learn about banking and saving, and maybe meet the bank's president. Where older kids can get help all the way through college. Where all of a family's financial events from the household checking account to trust and estate planning will be as important to the bank as they are to the family. Where older folks can find security and comfort in specially tailored senior products and services. People want to keep it local. A bank?s management should live a local phone call away, and be involved with community events. The bank should become an important part of the community, help it solve its problems and plan for its future. A bank should be a good neighbor, friendly, helpful and generous. Home Town Banking At Its Best With a heartfelt desire to restore traditional, community banking to the area, a group of local residents and business people united to open our bank. There are several factors that distinguish us as a real community bank. First, we are locally run. Decisions are made by people who know you and care about your needs. As a result, you gain from our responsive service and true understanding of what this community needs. Through this understanding we can tailor products to meet the needs of local consumers. Second, there is on-site control over all services, products, loan approvals, and interest rates. Because we're locally managed, we can set our rates right here. We don't have to get them approved by a corporate office somewhere else. And we don't have the overhead that big banks do, so we