Independent Banker - April 2020 - 60

their branches remain vital pieces of the surrounding
communities. In fact, Noah Wilcox, ICBA's new chairman,
describes the community bank branch as its community's
" front porch. "
Here, we showcase how several community banks are
keeping new branches at the heart of their communities.
D.L. Evans Bank:
MOVING IN WHEN MEGABANKS LEAVE
ne community bank with an aggressive branchopening
strategy is $1.8 billion-asset D.L. Evans
Bank in Burley, Idaho. " Several of the large banks,
O
especially Wells Fargo, have been closing branches around
here left and right in Idaho and Utah, " says John V. Evans
Jr., president and CEO. " This requires customers of these
banks to have to travel further to visit other branches. "
D.L. Evans Bank sees an opportunity to grow in the
displacement of the customers of these other banks. " They
want convenience, and we can provide that convenience by
opening new branches in those areas, " Evans says.
In fact, D.L. Evans experienced record growth in 2019,
growing by almost $220 million in assets. It has opened
three new branches in Idaho and is planning two or three
more in 2020. " While we are located in southern Idaho and
have about 31 branches here, we will also be expanding
into Utah, " Evans says. " In fact, we have already opened
two branches there and ended up experiencing our biggest
growth in our 115-year history as a result of continued
growth and branch expansion, including the bank's
expansion into northern Utah. "
While mobile banking is table stakes for most customers,
D.L. Evans Bank believes they still want to be able to meet
bankers in person at local branches, so its new branches
refl ect this opportunity for personal connection. " In our
new branch near Sun Valley [Idaho], for example, we have
installed a small coff ee shop, so that customers can sit,
have a cup of coff ee and read the paper, " Evans says.
He acknowledges that teller transactions are decreasing
quickly-a fact the bank has woven into its branch strategy.
" We are hardly getting people coming in the door for teller
transactions, " he says. " They are using their cards to do
their business. As a result, our new branches have fewer
teller lines, simply because the walk-in traffi c just is not
there anymore. For example, our new branches may just
have two teller stations instead of four or fi ve. We still have
drive-thrus, but even those are being used signifi cantly less
often by customers. "
Today, D.L. Evans Bank's branches are aimed at
customers and prospects who want to visit for purposes
beyond basic transactions, such as discussing a loan.
The branches are also home base for community bank
personnel who are tasked with getting to know local
business owners and other business prospects in the area.
To market its new branches, D.L. Evans Bank still uses
print, television and radio advertising. It also does some
digital advertising. " However, our main eff ort is that we
like to get involved in all of the community activities and
get our people out into the communities to meet people,
such as joining the local Rotary, " Evans says.
Eclipse Bank:
A MEASURED BRANCH STRATEGY
nother community bank seeing opportunities in
the wake of national and regional bank branch
closures is $175 million-asset Eclipse Bank in
A
Louisville, Ky. " What we see with larger banks is that,
as trends change, many times they fi nd themselves too
concentrated with branches in certain areas, so they
get involved in realignment, which may mean closing
branches, " says Andrew Pyles, president and CEO. " For
example, in one market, if they had 30 branches, they may
go down to 25, but then go into a new market and add four
or fi ve new branches. "
In addition, according to Pyles, a lot of smaller banks
are selling or closing their doors. " In our market, I think
we have lost three locally based banks in the last couple of
years, which creates an opening for a bank like ours to fi ll
that void, " he says.
" [We had] our biggest growth in
our 115-year history as a result
of continued growth and
branch expansion. "
-John V. Evans Jr., D.L. Evans Bank
Eclipse Bank looks for opportunities to open new
branches when the time is right, based on its community
banking model: Once it reaches a certain asset size and
scale, it feels that the time is right to open a new branch.
" In terms of the features we want in our new branches,
obviously [digital channels are] big these days, " Pyles says.
" Still, a lot of people will use technology even if it is in a
brick and mortar location. "
He notes that in the past, it was important to have
branches clustered near one another to meet the numerous
transactional needs of customers. " These days, though,
60 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q April 2020
Independent Banker - April 2020

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