By Lydia Crawley
For The Parsons Advocate
Petersburg – The Grant County Bank is now Highlands, but don’t worry, nothing else has changed about the 124-year old bank. The name launch and rebranding was kicked off with a celebration Wednesday, July 1st at the Highlands Bank Petersburg location.
“The Grant County bank been in existance over 120 years, a community bank, a growing bank,” Board of Directors Member Kirk Wilson said.
Wilson explained that a year ago, the bank was a $300 million institution, but has grown in that time to now $400 million.
“A little over a year ago, out stock, Highlands Bankshares was trading it in the low 30s, today its trading at 47,” Wilson said. “We’re a growing bank because of that.”
Wilson said that branches exist currently in counties surrounding Grant County. In January, the Bank plans to open a branch in Berkeley County.
“And it doesn’t make sense to have the Grant County Bank in Berkeley County,” Wilson said. “That’s why we’re changing our name.”
Wilson said that people are used to Highlands Bankshares, the holding company of the Grant County Bank (now Highlands Bank) and Capon Valley Bank. According to Wilson, the change was meant to be reflective of where the bank comes from and be recognizable to the community. “We started as a small community bank and we’re growing, but we’re still like that small community bank,” Wilson said.
“We are growing because we have good leadership in our bank and we have great employees that make people feel comfortable,” Wilson said. “We just work hard at customer service and serving our community.”
Wilson said that the bank strives to develop relationships with their clients and have clients that have been with them for 30 or 40 years.
As far as the customers checks, bank cards and accounts are concerned, Wilson said there is nothing to fear, it is business as usual. “Nothing changes,” Wilson said. “Your passwords don’t change, your log-ins don’t change.”
Facial recognition will ask for your password as a one-time log in to register a new facial recognition in the system, Wilson said, but otherwise, everything stays the same. Customers can even continue to Google Grant County Bank and it will link to Highlands Bank.
Customers can keep using Grant County Bank checks until they run out, at such time, Highlands Bank checks will be issued. Likewise, when bank cards and credit cards expire, new Highlands cards will be issued.
“I was up early this morning pushing the button to make sure, but everything works great,” Wilson said.
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