Bank: Consolidation smooth

Five new Austin Bank locations opened Feb. 19, as Austin Bank completes the consolidation of City National Bank, Kilgore, as earlier announced in November 2007.

The five locations; Kilgore at 1006 Stone Rd., Longview at Hwy 259 and Airline Road and 911 N.W. Loop 281, Gladewater at 1625 E. Broadway and 700 N. Main, previously operating as City National Bank offices, extend the number of full-service banks that Austin Bank now operates throughout the East Texas area to 28.

"We are very pleased with how smoothly the transition has occurred," said Jason Petersen, regional president of Austin Bank.

Jeff Austin, III, Vice Chairman of Austin Bank agreed.

"The employees of both banks have worked hard to make this transition a positive experience for customers and the response from our communities has been very positive," Austin said. "It is our goal to be the "Bank of Choice" and build long standing relationships. "