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WHEELING - Belmont Savings Bank will be crossing the Ohio River for the first time in its 141 years of operating.
The bank will see its first West Virginia location opening in December at 591 National Road in Wheeling, said President and CEO Todd Cover.
"We’re excited about it. We’ve been in business for 141 years and all in Belmont County. We love Belmont County and we’ll continue to serve Belmont County. But, we thought it was an appropriate time to try to expand our reach and expand our services over into West Virginia," Cover said. "It’s a pretty big market we’re going to have, so we’re excited to see what we can do over there. We do have some customers currently but we’re looking to expand as much as we can."
Despite crossing the river, Cover said the Ohio Valley is truly one community.
"For me it’s always been the Ohio Valley, I do live in West Virginia, but Belmont County has been a priority of mine for the last 11 years. And I think as far back as we go its been a priority," Cover said. "It’s just exciting to try to venture out and get into a new state and see what we can do and hopefully reach more people."
Cover has spent 11 years working for Belmont Savings Bank and has seen the bank expand extensively and believes this new venture is the next big step. He thinks the expansion will be an opportunity to reach more people and provide them with a high value of banking.
Cover said for those 11 years, the bank has been in growth mode and acquiring customers. Although nothing is set in stone, the bank is hoping to branch out and open more locations in West Virginia in the near future.
"Nothing’s been 100% determined yet, but we’re always looking to expand. If the right opportunity comes, we’re going to try to take advantage of it," Cover said.
Cover said he has been very fortunate to hire a lot of good people who have been able to create a true community banking environment.
"I think it’s always going to have a niche no matter where you’re at. And I think that we've kind of found that niche. We continue to offer the best products at the lowest cost. And we’re trying to get the word out there and let people know that we do offer and pretty much everything the big banks do is just at a more reasonable price," Cover said. "I think the biggest thing that sets us apart is that we care about you. We care about our communities and our customers, we’re not doing things just to turn a profit. We’re doing things to try to help the customer solve their problems as well."
He believes that community care is what sets Belmont Savings Bank apart from other banks.
Cover said that the bank's staff will sit down and talk to residents free of charge.
"Life’s not always perfect and we don’t expect it to be perfect, but we’re going to do what’s best for the customer, not just what’s best for ourselves," he said.