The current environment has put a big damper on mergers and acquisitions and put cost-cutting measures on the front burner. And it comes as no surprise that some banks are taking the opportunity to shutter branches. 4-Star Park National Bank, Newark, OH, is one such bank. It reportedly expects to save $6.5 million a year by closing 21 of its 119 branch locations and converting three others to drive-thru only locations.
It may come as a surprise that while many banks are closing branches, others are opening new locations. According to the FDIC, 132 U.S. banks established at least one new branch during the second quarter of 2020. Not all are “true” full-service branches, (5-Star Bancorpsouth Bank, Tupelo, MS opened 15 new locations in the last three months, but the majority are solely for loan production.) Note, however, that neither Park National nor Bancorpsouth are “community banks”.
Over 100 new Community Bank locations were also opened and almost all are Full-Service Brick and Mortar branches. The 73 that are rated 5-Stars are listed below. We do have to include a disclaimer here, though. Even though the FDIC has its established date listed as second quarter, not all of these branches are actually open for business yet. 5-Star Neffs National Bank, Neffs, PA, for example, has the Grand Opening of its new Walnutport branch scheduled for July 24th; the FDIC established date is April 27th.
Regardless of the actual opening date, these community banks are exhibiting their confidence in the future and we wanted to share that positivity with you.
The 73 5-Star Community Banks with new brick and mortar branches are listed below (financial data as of March 31, 2020)
Consider Bauer's Hometown Bank Ratings Report for the Star-Rating and location of every bank operating in your county.
| Cert. # | Entity | Headquarter City | ST | Star Rating | Total Assets ($ mils) | Leverage CR | Bauer’s Adjusted CR | New Branch City | ST | Branch Established Date |
| 8276 | Alton Bank | Alton | MO | 5-Stars | $74.057 | 14.32% | 12.93% | Birch Tree | MO | 6/15/2020 |
| 22953 | Amerant Bank N.A. | Coral Gables | FL | 5-Stars | $8,092.661 | 10.03% | 9.67% | Delray Beach | FL | 4/2/2020 |
| 18408 | Bangor Savings Bank | Bangor | ME | 5-Stars | $4,886.593 | 9.15% | 8.95% | Bangor | ME | 5/20/2020 |
| 5304 | Bank First N.A. | Manitowoc | WI | 5-Stars | $2,198.566 | 9.91% | 9.48% | Tomah | WI | 5/15/2020 |
| 8595 | Bank of Bennington | Bennington | NE | 5-Stars | $140.750 | 12.44% | 12.15% | Lincoln | NE | 5/4/2020 |
| 15759 | Bank of Burlington | Burlington | CO | 5-Stars | $65.702 | 14.43% | 14.43% | Cheyenne Wells | CO | 4/6/2020 |
| 58479 | Bank of Central Florida | Lakeland | FL | 5-Stars | $595.981 | 8.66% | 8.64% | Plant City | FL | 6/1/2020 |
| 26403 | Bank of Idaho | Idaho Falls | ID | 5-Stars | $420.664 | 12.32% | 11.21% | Nampa | ID | 5/11/2020 |
| 32779 | Bank of Marin | Corte Madera | CA | 5-Stars | $2,697.701 | 10.94% | 10.88% | San Rafael | CA | 5/25/2020 |
| 58513 | Bank of Princeton | Princeton | NJ | 5-Stars | $1,424.576 | 12.91% | 12.75% | Lakewood | NJ | 6/15/2020 |
| 57044 | Bank of Southern California N.A. | San Diego | CA | 5-Stars | $852.052 | 12.49% | 12.40% | Rancho Santa Margarita | CA | 5/31/2020 |
| 8870 | BankFirst Financial Services | Macon | MS | 5-Stars | $1,321.745 | 9.88% | 9.15% | Hattiesburg | MS | 5/6/2020 |
| 5903 | BankPlus | Belzoni | MS | 5-Stars | $3,025.779 | 9.44% | 8.94% | Greenwood | MS | 4/1/2020 |
| 8035 | Bath State Bank | Bath | IN | 5-Stars | $173.881 | 9.78% | 9.45% | Liberty | IN | 6/15/2020 |
| 57997 | Bryant Bank | Tuscaloosa | AL | 5-Stars | $1,817.397 | 9.77% | 9.52% | Mobile | AL | 6/1/2020 |
| 17870 | Cambridge Savings Bank | Cambridge | MA | 5-Stars | $4,461.515 | 9.72% | 9.22% | Melrose | MA | 6/1/2020 |
| 8152 | Cambridge Trust | Cambridge | MA | 5-Stars | $2,852.610 | 9.01% | 8.82% | Wellesley | MA | 6/1/2020 |
| 6985 | Canandaigua National Bank & Trust | Canandaigua | NY | 5-Stars | $3,149.346 | 9.48% | 8.50% | Brockport | NY | 5/11/2020 |
| 1014 | ChoiceOne Bank | Sparta | MI | 5-Stars | $696.162 | 9.92% | 9.42% | Lapeer | MI | 5/16/2020 |
| 8200 | Citizens Bank Minnesota | New Ulm | MN | 5-Stars | $435.858 | 10.12% | 10.12% | Watkins | MN | 4/17/2020 |
| 5840 | Citizens Union Bank | Shelbyville | KY | 5-Stars | $880.169 | 11.36% | 10.72% | Owenton | KY | 4/3/2020 |
| 34403 | Coastal Community Bank | Everett | WA | 5-Stars | $1,183.330 | 11.70% | 11.68% | Arlington | WA | 6/8/2020 |
| 28834 | Columbia Bank | Fair Lawn | NJ | 5-Stars | $8,307.301 | 9.79% | 9.68% | Roselle | NJ | 4/1/2020 |
| 175 | Commercial Bank | Crawford | GA | 5-Stars | $253.347 | 9.29% | 9.21% | Colbert | GA | 5/26/2020 |
| 10146 | Commonwealth Bank & Trust | Louisville | KY | 5-Stars | $1,165.832 | 9.41% | 9.24% | Edgewood | KY | 5/18/2020 |
| 11595 | Community First Bank | Boscobel | WI | 5-Stars | $441.704 | 10.80% | 10.00% | Prairie Du Chien | WI | 5/26/2020 |
| 32838 | Community First Bank Inc. | Walhalla | SC | 5-Stars | $447.378 | 10.31% | 10.02% | Charlotte | NC | 4/8/2020 |
| 9536 | Community State Bank | Union Grove | WI | 5-Stars | $414.746 | 9.57% | 8.88% | Kenosha | WI | 6/2/2020 |
| 26416 | Community State Bank | Canton | OK | 5-Stars | $54.394 | 10.84% | 10.19% | Seiling | OK | 5/4/2020 |
| 14264 | Cornhusker Bank | Lincoln | NE | 5-Stars | $632.404 | 9.13% | 8.88% | Omaha | NE | 5/18/2020 |
| 8888 | Country Club Bank | Kansas City | MO | 5-Stars | $1,539.264 | 9.64% | 9.19% | Olathe | KS | 4/25/2020 |
| 57095 | Dogwood State Bank | Raleigh | NC | 5-Stars | $394.884 | 21.28% | 21.13% | Charlotte | NC | 5/11/2020 |
| 12611 | Evangeline Bank and Trust | Ville Platte | LA | 5-Stars | $604.620 | 18.98% | 18.00% | Lake Charles | LA | 4/30/2020 |
| 6947 | Evans Bank N.A. | Angola | NY | 5-Stars | $1,508.276 | 9.81% | 9.08% | Fairport | NY | 5/1/2020 |
| 1843 | Farmers and Merchants Bank | Boswell | IN | 5-Stars | $134.427 | 11.27% | 11.17% | Williamsport | IN | 4/28/2020 |
| 2429 | Farmers Bank Windsor Virginia | Windsor | VA | 5-Stars | $487.732 | 10.31% | 10.11% | Virginia Beach | VA | 6/15/2020 |
| 4319 | FCN Bank N.A. | Brookville | IN | 5-Stars | $477.422 | 10.75% | 10.30% | Lawrenceburg | IN | 5/18/2020 |
| 11868 | Fidelity Deposit & Discount | Dunmore | PA | 5-Stars | $1,065.405 | 10.29% | 9.97% | Bangor | PA | 5/1/2020 |
| 7593 | First Citizens Community Bank | Mansfield | PA | 5-Stars | $1,463.733 | 9.45% | 8.62% | Wilmington | DE | 4/17/2020 |
| 29845 | First Federal Bank of the Midwest | Youngstown | OH | 5-Stars | $6,519.264 | 11.29% | 10.72% | Dublin | OH | 5/18/2020 |
| 26543 | First National Bank | Wichita Falls | TX | 5-Stars | $581.455 | 9.77% | 9.46% | Chico | TX | 4/9/2020 |
| 5247 | First National Bank Minnesota | Saint Peter | MN | 5-Stars | $223.654 | 9.56% | 8.84% | Belle Plaine | MN | 4/17/2020 |
| 28396 | First Palmetto Bank | Camden | SC | 5-Stars | $718.274 | 11.10% | 10.75% | Columbia | SC | 6/1/2020 |
| 6085 | First Premier Bank | Sioux Falls | SD | 5-Stars | $2,128.632 | 14.27% | 14.00% | Madison | SD | 5/26/2020 |
| 19163 | First State Bank | Wrens | GA | 5-Stars | $165.166 | 8.89% | 8.04% | Harlem | GA | 6/22/2020 |
| 58113 | Flagship Bank | Clearwater | FL | 5-Stars | $163.609 | 15.39% | 15.18% | Largo | FL | 4/30/2020 |
| 35276 | Freedom Bank | Cassville | MO | 5-Stars | $313.211 | 9.90% | 8.58% | Monett | MO | 6/12/2020 |
| 9443 | Heartland Bank | Whitehall | OH | 5-Stars | $1,171.589 | 11.03% | 10.82% | Fort Mitchell | KY | 4/8/2020 |
| 28765 | Kearny Bank | Fairfield | NJ | 5-Stars | $6,751.704 | 11.92% | 11.43% | Brooklyn | NY | 5/6/2020 |
| 28765 | Kearny Bank | Fairfield | NJ | 5-Stars | $6,751.704 | 11.92% | 11.43% | Staten Island | NY | 4/13/2020 |
| 20156 | Kirkpatrick Bank | Edmond | OK | 5-Stars | $821.576 | 11.91% | 11.73% | Westcliffe | CO | 5/18/2020 |
| 20856 | Liberty Bank and Trust | New Orleans | LA | 5-Stars | $624.159 | 9.06% | 8.30% | Louisville | KY | 4/22/2020 |
| 8866 | Merchants Bank N.A. | Winona | MN | 5-Stars | $1,896.341 | 10.12% | 9.22% | Northfield | MN | 5/14/2020 |
| 35138 | Millennium Bank | Ooltewah | TN | 5-Stars | $196.591 | 10.42% | 9.79% | Lake City | FL | 6/1/2020 |
| 14036 | Missouri Bank | Warrenton | MO | 5-Stars | $227.351 | 12.01% | 11.52% | Sedalia | MO | 4/4/2020 |
| 34603 | MVB Bank Inc | Fairmont | WV | 5-Stars | $2,092.598 | 9.83% | 9.49% | Barboursville | WV | 4/3/2020 |
| 7646 | Neffs National Bank | Neffs | PA | 5-Stars | $379.423 | 18.76% | 18.57% | Walnutport | PA | 4/27/2020 |
| 28679 | North Shore Bank FSB | Brookfield | WI | 5-Stars | $2,214.151 | 11.94% | 11.69% | Milwaukee | WI | 4/9/2020 |
| 32647 | Northwest Bank | Spencer | IA | 5-Stars | $1,741.890 | 9.60% | 9.27% | Ankeny | IA | 6/1/2020 |
| 58115 | Oakstar Bank | Springfield | MO | 5-Stars | $1,050.879 | 10.20% | 9.67% | Joplin | MO | 6/8/2020 |
| 58115 | Oakstar Bank | Springfield | MO | 5-Stars | $1,050.879 | 10.20% | 9.67% | Overland Park | KS | 6/1/2020 |
| 21292 | PeoplesSouth Bank | Colquitt | GA | 5-Stars | $804.664 | 9.33% | 8.47% | Phenix City | AL | 4/2/2020 |
| 14065 | Pinnacle Bank | Elberton | GA | 5-Stars | $999.276 | 9.67% | 9.53% | Clarkesville | GA | 4/1/2020 |
| 58366 | Reliant Bank | Brentwood | TN | 5-Stars | $2,170.602 | 10.58% | 10.40% | Clarksville | TN | 4/1/2020 |
| 4865 | Sandy Spring Bank | Olney | MD | 5-Stars | $8,917.838 | 10.45% | 9.92% | Rockville | MD | 4/1/2020 |
| 9172 | Security Bank and Trust | Paris | TN | 5-Stars | $502.487 | 9.07% | 9.04% | Milan | TN | 5/4/2020 |
| 19213 | Security National Bank of Omaha | Omaha | NE | 5-Stars | $863.536 | 12.77% | 12.50% | W Des Moines | IA | 4/20/2020 |
| 10693 | Simply Bank | Spring City | TN | 5-Stars | $366.380 | 9.41% | 8.68% | Decatur | TN | 6/1/2020 |
| 28332 | Southern Bank | Poplar Bluff | MO | 5-Stars | $2,361.151 | 10.51% | 9.94% | Rolla | MO | 5/23/2020 |
| 13339 | State Bank and Trust | Defiance | OH | 5-Stars | $1,082.283 | 11.35% | 10.84% | Edon | OH | 6/6/2020 |
| 58932 | Texas Hill Country Bank | Bandera | TX | 5-Stars | $171.132 | 9.50% | 9.50% | Fredericksburg | TX | 6/8/2020 |
| 3337 | Texas National Bank | Mercedes | TX | 5-Stars | $345.199 | 9.04% | 8.52% | San Juan | TX | 6/1/2020 |
| 34934 | Union Bank | Greenville | NC | 5-Stars | $866.785 | 8.81% | 8.74% | Burlington | NC | 4/10/2020 |