VCNB Announces Plans For New Facility In McArthur

Posted on May 5, 2022 by vcnbfamily

VCNB is pleased to announce plans to build a new facility in downtown McArthur. This new office represents a historic investment in the bank’s hometown. The new build will be located at 203 West Main Street, at the former McClure’s Family Restaurant property. It will house only the retail bank employees who serve customers while back office employees will remain in their current locations in the bank’s existing two facilities.

VCNB President Mark Erslan said the approximate 7,000 square foot building will be two-story and is planned to be an attractive addition to downtown. It will offer a more pleasant, convenient environment for employees as well as features designed with the customer in mind. One major upgrade that customers are expected to appreciate is an expanded drive-thru system. This will include a lane for a drive-up ATM and Express Drop plus three drive-thru lanes to keep traffic flowing more efficiently. A fifth “escape lane” will allow customers to quickly exit the parking lot even when the drive-thru lanes are occupied.

Tellers will serve customers from a central lobby that is surrounded by offices where staff can help customers with their banking needs. The second floor will feature offices, a conference room and a pleasant lunchroom for employees to enjoy at break time.

The current bank building will continue to house administrative and back office employees but will no longer be open to the public for banking business. This 1925 era building has been expanded, remodeled and reimagined in countless ways over the decades but is overcrowded and not suited to meet a growing need for more employees in back office positions.

The bank employs more than sixty individuals who work in McArthur in a various departments including Audit, Operations, Loan Servicing, IT, Human Resources, Marketing, Accounting, Deposit Operations and Customer Service. Erslan said that most people do not realize how many work in the bank’s two existing McArthur facilities. “We are full in this building. It’s possible that the public doesn’t perceive that but our need for more employees has grown as the bank has grown,” Erslan explained.

Erslan said that plans are to break ground this summer. “We are excited to start this new chapter in our history here in Vinton County and think the investment in the community will be beneficial to customers, employees, and shareholders in the long run. We hope our customers will see the new construction as an exciting sign of growth in the community.”

Deep Roots, Strong Branches

Posted on September 9, 2020 by vcnbfamily

A Greek proverb tells us that society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.

This reminds us of our founder Daniel Will and makes us wonder if he had any inkling his bank would still be growing from seeds he planted in 1867. The roots of our family tree run deep and grow from principles that Dan gave us – be honest, get to know your customers, embrace what’s new that works, invest in the community, and do the right thing for the people who depend on you.

When he saw a need for a store in the community, Dan opened a store. When his customers needed credit, he helped them out. When they needed a safe place to keep their money, they trusted him to keep it secure in the store’s vault. And when he realized the town needed a bank, he set to work building what the community and his customers needed most.

This is the model we continue to follow. This is who we are and this is why we are grateful for Dan Will and those seeds he planted all those years ago.

Let’s face it – the deeper the roots, the healthier the tree and the stronger the branches will grow. So whichever VCNB branch you choose – whether it’s our first bank in McArthur, one of our newer branches in central Ohio or somewhere in between – it’s not just a branch. It’s part of a strong family tree of banks that continues to grow and reach toward the sky.

Brenda Prater Brooks To Retire This Month

Posted on January 22, 2020 by vcnbfamily

When Brenda Prater Brooks came to work for Vinton County National Bank in 1979, President Bob Will joked that she was kicking the slats out of the cradle. Just over forty years later, Brenda is retiring as the second most senior employee in the bank.

Brenda Brooks She never intended to stay this long but instead planned to work while going to college and eventually move on. “This is where God wanted me. I got married, had two kids and never left. Life is good,” she smiled.

Brenda began her banking career as a teller – first inside the lobby and later at the drive-thru. “On my first day, they gave me a cash drawer and told me any money out, write on the right side and money in gets written on the left. And you know what? I balanced my first day!”

When she started at the bank, the lobby was open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and until noon on Thursday and Saturday. “We didn’t have any of the technology we have today. Everything was done by hand and no one left until the General Ledger was balanced. You didn’t want to be the reason it wouldn’t balance,” she joked. “You felt about an inch tall because everyone had to wait around all because of your mistake.”

With everything filed and kept manually, when a customer wanted to know if a check had been cleared, the teller went downstairs to find the check. “We didn’t have an elevator back then so it was a lot of trips up and down the stairs. I was thin back then!” she laughed.

She speaks about many former colleagues with admiration, especially those who were here when she first started and who taught her to be a good representative of the bank. She is especially fond of Rosemary Reynolds and Ruth Molihan who were New Accounts Officers for many years. “I always thought they were the classiest ladies ever. Never a hair out of place, make-up done perfectly. They were always so professional and kind. I wanted to be like them,” she said.

When Rosemary left the bank in 1991, Brenda got her chance to be like those ladies in New Accounts. “They put me across from Ruth and I learned so much,” she said. “I’ve done everything on the deposit side but never loans. I’m not sure I could tell someone who really needed money that I could not do a loan for them,” she said.

Brenda points out that many of her early customers have passed away. Now she’s serving their children and grandchildren. “I’ve loved every minute of getting to know my customers,” she said before talking about some of the births, marriages, retirements, deaths, celebrations and sorrows that she has witnessed in the lives of her customers. She even remembers two current VCNB employees when they were just tiny tots sitting on her lap while playing with her typewriter. “They’re all grown up now!” she exclaimed.

It is her own life experience that Brenda believes has helped her better relate to some of her customers. She specifically mentioned how the passing of her first husband has allowed her to relate to customers who have lost spouses. “I’m a firm believer that our experiences make us who we are and that we should use the knowledge and compassion we gain to help others,” she said. “I’ve been able to better relate to my customers who have lost spouses because I’ve been through it. And unless you’ve been through it you just don’t know,” she said.

She will miss her bank family and customers but looks forward to having more time with her own family. With a husband, two grown kids, three grandsons, lots of friends and elderly parents, she has much to keep her busy and to look forward to. “I am so excited to just do my own thing and to have more time for what I need to do,” she said.

Brenda reluctantly admits that some of her customers will miss her. “People don’t like change and honestly, I don’t either. I remember when Rosemary left, so many people were reluctant to give me a chance. And when I started, if the system went down, that meant my pencil was broken and I needed to sharpen it,” she laughed. “So much has changed in these forty years but it’s a necessary part of life.”

Brenda is known for her good customer service so when asked what advice she would give someone in a customer service job, her response was decisive. “Never judge someone for their appearance and never treat anyone differently than you yourself would want to be treated. Every customer is important. They are the reason we have a job.”

“I will miss the people. Some have become like family but to everything there is a season. It’s time for me to leave,” she said.

Brenda will retire on January 31 along with three other longtime employees. Jane Nickelsand Barb Clemons in McArthur and Elaine Praterin Richmond Dale will retire that day as well. An informal reception will be held for customers and friends in McArthur on January 29 and a reception for Elaine will be held on January 29 in Richmond Dale.

VCNB Announces Tenth President In 151 Year History

Posted on December 24, 2018 by vcnbfamily

Vinton County National Bank is pleased to announce that Mark Erslan has been named by the Board of Directors to replace Ron Collins in anticipation of Collins’ 2019 retirement. Collins has served Community Bancshares, Inc., the bank’s holding company, for over twenty years. This included nine years as president of First Bremen Bank and nine years as president of VCNB.

Erslan began his career with VCNB in 1992 after graduating from University of Rio Grande with a degree in Business Management. His first position with the bank was Management Trainee in the Operations Department. The following year, he requested a position interacting with customers and was entrusted with a Branch Manager position in the bank’s new Ross County market. Since then, Erslan has held various roles within the bank including Consumer Lender, Vice President of Lending and, most recently, Executive Vice President Head of Lending.

He is optimistic about the bank’s future and indicated he plans to continue following the bank’s current growth strategy. “We look forward to steady growth in the communities we serve by continuing to provide our customers with excellent in-person service while embracing new technology to provide additional conveniences on-line,” Erslan said.

“I am eager for the opportunity to lead the bank in this position. In my 26 years with VCNB, the past presidents have played a significant role in my development and I hope to pass that along to the next generation of bankers,” he continued.

Collins will help with the transition by continuing as CEO through 2019. He also plans to remain on the Board of Directors. “It was a pleasure and honor to lead this organization and be able to work with such dedicated people. I am pleased that Mark will be our new president. Over the years he has demonstrated his commitment to our bank, our customers and the great communities we serve,” Collins said.

Looking Back On Our 150th

Posted on December 20, 2017 by vcnbfamily

This has been a big year here at VCNB as we have been celebrating our 150^th anniversary. We did this through a variety of means including events and sponsorships throughout the eight counties we call home. We’ve celebrated our entire 150 year history with a museum in our McArthur office and focused on our post-Civil War birth with big events over the 4^th of July weekend in Vinton County.

However, 2017 hasn’t been just a year of living in the past. It has also been a year of reflection for the employees and Directors of Vinton County National Bank. We have spent 2017 working on a plan for the years ahead and have been contemplating the bank we want to be, the bank our customers need us to be for the next 150 years.

We opened a new banking center in Jackson this year and continue to focus efforts on improving our mobile and online services to make banking with VCNB simpler and better. We have developed many plans to make VCNB a better place to work and a better place to do business as well.

If you are a VCNB customer, we thank you for your business. If you are not a customer, we ask that you give us a chance to become your bank. We have been successful these 150 years because of our customers and because of the fine communities where we do business. We would love to bring you into our bank family as well.

We’re about to turn the page on the calendar to a new month, a new year and to countless opportunities to grow this bank and to help our customers realize their dreams. What’s the old quote?

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among stars!”

Thanks to all of you for supporting Vinton County National Bank and for allowing us the privilege to be your bank. Together, we’ll shoot for that moon!

A Presidential Portrait: Ron Collins

Posted on October 2, 2017 by vcnbfamily

In honor of our 150^th anniversary in 2017 we are taking a look back at bank history and the people who have helped to shape our bank into the successful, secure institution that it is today. Read on to learn about one of our former presidents!

Ron Collins has been the Vinton County Bank President since 2009.

Ron Collins is the ninth and most recent President of Vinton County National Bank. As the only President to preside over both the Bremen and Vinton County Banks, Ron has provided a helpful bridge between the two bank cultures and operations.

Ron came to Bremen in 1998 to serve as Head of Lending. Before that, he worked as Field Vice President for ITT Financial Services from 1976 to 1993 and then as Vice President of Consumer Lending for State Savings Bank from 1993 to 1998.

He was named President of the First Bremen Bank in 2001 and served in that capacity until being named President of Vinton County National Bank in 2009.

Ron brought to the bank a comprehensive understanding of the lending world that has benefited the bank greatly. He used this experience and worked closely with the Credit Department to address weaknesses in the bank’s loan portfolio. He has since improved the bank’s loan portfolio to make it both healthy and profitable.

One of Ron’s most noted accomplishments during his time as President at Bremen continues to impact the bank today. Ron oversaw the development of the Canal Banking Center in Canal Winchester.

The bank built this office from the ground up in a location that was outside the bank’s comfort zone at the time. Ron advocated for a location in an up-and-coming commercial area off the highway rather than in a downtown location. The Canal office opened in 2002 and was an immediate success. It continues to be a busy, growing branch.

Ron also oversaw ventures into Licking county where Bremen opened its fifth location. The Friendly Bremen Bank of Pataskala opened in 2006.

After being named Vinton County National Bank President in 2009, Ron set to work softening the differences between the two banks, finding common grounds and seeking ways to streamline and improve the combined operation.

Ron is known as a great communicator and many consider him a “President of the people.” His ability to relate to people of all walks of life have served him well at this bank as he is approachable to all and open to their thoughts.

He considers it an honor to be the bank’s President and calls it “a privilege to follow a long history of outstanding leaders.” He credits current employees and those who have come before with helping grow the bank from one office in one county to sixteen offices in seven counties with assets of $885 million.

Ron says that his greatest accomplishment is being able to work with “all the hard working and dedicated employees in keeping with our bank’s history of
outstanding growth while maintaining our principles of being part of the communities we serve and having a safe and sound bank.”

Born in Dayton in 1955, Ron has been married to his wife Gail for 37 years. The pair have two children, Jill and Ron, Jr. as well as three grandchildren. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Ron serves as Board Treasurer for Fox Family YMCA, is a member of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Board and is a past board member for the Route 33 Alliance. In his free time, Ron enjoys traveling, fishing and spending time with his grandchildren.

Daniel Will
Aaron Will
John L. Will
Robert B. Will, Sr.
J.G. Will
Robert B. Will Jr.
George Booth
Steve Hunter

Honoring a Pioneer: Gwen Egan

Posted on September 19, 2017 by vcnbfamily

Earlier this year we told you about the first woman employed by Vinton County National Bank. Today we’re featuring the first female employee at Salt Creek Valley Bank, now known as Salt Creek Banking Center. Read on to learn more!

When Gwendolyn Dent Egan began working at Salt Creek Valley Bank in 1937, the landscape of the banking industry was decidedly masculine. Few women worked in banks and there were no other women at the Laurelville bank.

Many things have changed in the industry and the country in general since Gwen was a young woman starting her first day at a job that would become her career for many years. She was not just Salt Creek’s first female employee, she was the first female bank officer as well.

Fresh from high school, Gwen enrolled at Capitol University to study business but found herself homesick and unhappy. “Mom said I had to stay but Dad said I could come home as long as I did something else,” Gwen recalled.

At the time, the bank employed just two men – Elmer Strauss and Joe White. “Dad knew Mr. Armstrong, the Bank President, so he went to see him. He asked Mr. Armstrong if he didn’t need a girl in that office,” she laughed. “Mr. Armstrong talked to the board and that’s how I got the job!”

That’s how Salt Creek Valley Bank hired their first female employee. “After that we had a lot of women employees. Most were very good but I was the only one for a while,” Gwen said.

Her first job was to run checks through a posting machine. “I remember that thing was a real antique, all the way back then!” she exclaimed. Another big part of her job was waiting on customers. “We had some very nice customers. You got to know everyone working at the bank.”

While modern banks are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, for the early part of her career, banking tools were basic. “Everything was recorded in a big ledger. After we balanced out for the day, I did the book work. There was a ledger I wrote it all in,” she explained. A typewriter, adding machine and pencil were the other tools of the trade used during her early career.

In 2016, at age 97, she claimed her memory was failing but she recalled the names and family trees of many coworkers and shared a host of stories about the town and the bank. “There were a lot of good times and there were some bad,” she said recalling friends of old, girlhood hours at the skating rink and the terrible flood of 1968 that threatened the town’s future.

She discussed how the flood waters reached countless homes in town and how everyone pitched in to help with clean up and recovery, saying that even inmates from the state penitentiary were sent to help clean up. “We got the town cleaned up and went back to work,” she said.

But Gwen has many positive memories as well. Since the bank closed on Thursdays, she recalls how she spent her Thursday afternoons. “When we closed on Thursdays, away I went to Columbus to shop at Lazarus. I just loved that Lazarus store in downtown. I know I spent too much money on clothes over the years but I loved them and my husband never complained,” she said with a chuckle. “The bank didn’t have a strict dress code but I always tried to look nice.”

By the time she retired, the banking industry had changed a great deal and the Salt Creek Valley Bank was changing with it. “When I first went to work, if someone came in and wanted to borrow a little money and you knew them, you would just write the note out. But it got to be you just couldn’t do that anymore. Times certainly changed,” she said.

One thing that never changes, according to Gwen, is the flow of customers who need their community bank. “I miss the people. I loved the people. I liked to talk to people and always tried to be real nice to everyone. After all, you have to be a friend to have a friend.”

Gwen retired in 1983, after 46 years of service to the bank and community. She still lives in the home she was born in and the one she shared with her late husband Howard Egan. “This is home. I hope to never leave,” Gwen said.

A Presidential Portrait: Steve Hunter

Posted on September 5, 2017 by vcnbfamily

Steve Hunter

Steve Hunter became acquainted with Vinton County National Bank when he began serving as the bank’s Community Service Officer in 1975. At the time, asset size was about $18 million. By the time he retired in 2012 it was approximately $700 million. He was part of an era of growth and expansion that helped to shape the bank into what it is today.

A native of West Jefferson, Ohio, Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and a Masters Degree in Regional Planning from Ohio University.

He served as Director of Research for the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission prior to starting with the bank as Community Service Officer on September 1, 1975.

During his career with the bank, Steve served in a number of capacities that gave him a unique and broad understanding of how the company operates. He worked in lending, personnel, training and as the Marketing Director.

Steve was named Executive Vice President in 1984 and graduated from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 1985. He was named to the Vinton County National Bank Board of Directors in 1987 before becoming Bank President on January 1, 1988. He served in that capacity until January 2000 when he became Chairman of the Vinton County National Bank Board.

He was CBI Vice Chairman when the Vinton County and Bremen Banks merged in 2009.

Steve has a vast knowledge of the bank’s history and can easily recite dates, stories, architectural tidbits and other information about the bank for a lot of its 150 year history. A walk through the McArthur office with Steve is like an architectural tour as he can easily recall stories from the bank’s history as they relate to the various expansion and remodeling projects.

He recalls a time in the early 1980’s when Bob Will Jr. told him to “go buy an Apple computer and make it do something.” He spearheaded the effort to bring personal computers into the bank, first using them to run monthly board reports and create spreadsheets while looking for other ways to incorporate the technology into the bank.

Steve went on to oversee numerous construction projects and to coordinate several acquisitions including those in Chillicothe, Laurelville, Logan and Richmond Dale.

One of his most significant contributions to the bank is the work he did to break into the Chillicothe market. This new, bigger market offered tremendous opportunity for growth that was close to the bank’s first home in McArthur. Today the offices in this market continue to thrive and market share is still growing.

Steve remains actively involved at the bank, serving as a Trustee for Community BancShares, Inc. His wife Trudy is retired from Vinton County Local Schools and they have one son, Marty, who is a Certified Public Accountant in New York City.

The couple reside in Chillicothe but enjoy traveling and spending winters in the South.

Learn more about VCNB Presidents! Click the links below to read about those we have profiled so far this year.

Daniel Will
Aaron Will
John L. Will
Robert B. Will, Sr.
J.G. Will
Robert B. Will Jr.
George Booth

A Presidential Portrait: Remembering George Booth

Posted on August 11, 2017 by vcnbfamily

George E. Booth

George E. Booth holds the distinction of being the first bank President who was not a member of the Will family, an accomplishment that was both an honor and a symbol of his abilities as a banker.

George had a lengthy career with the bank, working in a number of roles, both with the customer and behind the scenes in the operations area of the bank. This experience gave him a good grasp of how to balance the profitability of the bank with providing customers with a top notch experience.

He was born May 18, 1918 on the Yankee Street family farm south of Wilkesville that belonged to his parents David R. and Minnie Wilcox Booth. George earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Rio Grande College at the age of 24 and taught elementary school for four years before enlisting in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He attained a rank of Warrant Officer in Normandy, France.

George began his banking career in 1952 and had served as Vice President, Cashier and Director before being appointed President in 1984. He held that position through 1988 and continued as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors until his retirement in 1996. He also served as Secretary/Treasurer of Community BancShares, Inc.

Upon retiring in 1996, George joked that he was retiring by degrees as he had begun retiring almost ten years before.

The years of George’s term as President were exciting at the bank as these years saw Community Bancshares purchase First Bremen Bank and growth into Fairfield County.While the Bremen Bank continued to operate independently of Vinton County National Bank, there was much opportunity for cooperation and for Vinton County to assist Bremen as it grew. He worked closely with his longtime friend and colleague Bob Will to guide the bank through this period.

When George stepped down from the office of President, Bank Chairman and CEO Bob Jr. complimented George’s accomplishments, noting that George had been an important member of the bank’s staff since 1952. George was an important part of the bank’s growth from three million in assets in 1952 to 66 million in 1988.

During his lifetime George not only worked for the bank, he and his wife Dorothy Booth started the Booth Real Estate and Insurance Agency, Inc. He was also a member of the Orphan’s Friend Masonic Lodge in Wilkesville. George enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, and loved spending time with his family. He also was known to embrace technology and was well known for his presence on the social media site Facebook for several years prior to his death.

George and his beloved wife Dorothy were married for seventy years and had five children: David Booth, Janet Bolender, Janice Smith, Mary Ann Simmons and Ellen Lash. Their large family now includes grandchildren and great grandchildren.

George died at his McArthur residence on April 27, 2014. He was 95.

Read other posts about bank history and 150th celebrations here.

Celebrating 150 Years and Counting

Posted on July 20, 2017 by vcnbfamily

It isn’t every day that a bank celebrates a big milestone anniversary like the big 1-5-0 so we threw ourselves a big party earlier this month. If you attended the festivities, we thank you for being part of our celebration. We can’t tell you what it meant to have so many of our customers and friends come out to support us.

When we started planning our festivities, we knew we didn’t want it to be all about us. We’re a community bank so we wanted to do something for the community that gave us our start. Since we’re an all American company, we chose to partner with the folks who stage our July 4^th celebration and to give their event a little boost.

The results were fantastic.

Members of the Will Family are pictured outside the Bank during the 150th Anniversary Open House. Photo Courtesy The Vinton County Courier

Working with the Vinton County High School Athletic Boosters to enhance and support their event was a great experience. They were open to letting us add some things to their schedule that we might not ordinarily have. They also were kind enough to name the bank and the Will family grand marshals of their parade.

It was a real thrill to have the Will family come home from places both near and far to ride in John Hutchinson’s horse drawn wagon while our employees passed out what else, but American flags! This parade is always fun because it includes all the student/youth athletes, classic cars, queens and clubs that are willing to walk, ride or march the route through downtown McArthur.

The next day we had an open house that brought together so many familiar faces – it felt like a family reunion! The ladies of the McArthur United Methodist Church served some of the most delicious homemade pie you’ll ever taste and the Adelphi Band (which has been around for over 130 years) was kind enough to provide a lively soundtrack for the day. The speeches were short and the smiles were big as we officially opened the Bank’s new museum and asked our guests to vote for their favorite photo contest entry (more to come on that next week).

Special thanks to our friends Vinton County Juvenile/Probate Judge Bob Grillo and Pastor Carl Radcliff for joining President Ron Collins, McArthur Branch Manager Jane Nickels and VCNB Board Chairman Tom Will in speaking to the open house attendees in a brief ceremony.

That night we sponsored a concert by Jason Michael Carroll, a country artist who has enjoyed some commercial success and who put on a first rate show. The crowd loves this guy and we think he loved Vinton County.

The next day we set up shop at the Vinton County High School where we hosted something a little different – we hosted a Civil War themed day for the family! Since the bank was born in the years following the war, we thought it would be fun to play some nineteenth century baseball and invite some special guests including President Lincoln, General George Armstrong Custer, Steve and Lisa Ball who provided beautiful music for the day, and a gentleman who taught us about the life of an Ohio soldier during the war.

The Ohio Village Diamonds womens’ team played a rousing round of softball that ended in a tie with our local team of alumni softball players. The Ohio Village Muffins mens’ team eeked out a win over our team of bankers and local school employees. In the nineteenth century, they played ball by different rules (think no mitts and you can’t run past a base) so there was a learning curve for our local players. But at the end of the day, they were happy, if not a little worn out from playing baseball in the hot sun in old fashioned uniforms.

The weather forecast was questionable but turned out to be perfect at all the right times throughout the weekend. We’re grateful for that. We’re also grateful that so many people came out to our events and had a good time. That’s what it’s all about. We think 150 years is pretty important but for this weekend, what was more important was knowing that our guests and all the folks who participated in the festivities had a great time.

In the grand scheme of things, the weekend was short but the memories will last a lifetime. We expect this anniversary to live on in our bank’s history for a long time to come and we were honored to take our place in history as the employees who got to be there for it.

See below for a few pictures from the festivities!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tom Will is a fifth generation banker whose ancestor Daniel Will founded the bank. Here’s the complete text of his speech from the open house:

In 1867, shortly after the Civil War had ended, two union officers Captains McDowell and James W. Delay opened the Vinton County Bank. Within in a few months my three great uncle Daniel Will opened his own bank. The next year the banks combined with Dan becoming the President of the bank. Uncle Dan was President of the Vinton County National bank until 1924. He died at his desk in the bank at the age of 92. I will tell you right now, I do not plan on working at the bank that long.

My dad, Bob Will stated that the main reason why Dan became a banker was that he first started in business with a general store. His store had a safe and it was a secure place to keep money. So, Dan would keep some customers cash in his safe, and he made loans to customers to buy merchandise. Safe keeping customer’s deposits and making loans is the core of community banking. 150 years later we are still performing the same service.

Dan did not marry or have any children, so he left the care of the bank to his two nephews. Aaron Will, my great grandfather and John L Will, Christyne’s grandfather. Since Dan, the bank has had eight other presidents. I have had the pleasure of knowing six of them.

150 years is a long time to remain in business for any company. According to Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, their scientists state that the average business will last about ten years. Our bank started before there were light bulbs, cars, telephones, and radios.

I compared the largest 25 banks currently chartered in Ohio and only 6 banks of those banks were older than VCNB. Of those six, only two were more than four years older than us. The oldest bank now chartered in Ohio is Chase bank in 1824. Chase was started in New York with the help Aaron Burr under the name of the Manhattan Company. Yes, that Aaron Burr who that the famous duel with Alexander Hamilton.

The second oldest bank is Key bank which also started in New York state in 1849.

The other four large Ohio banks that were started after 1863 in order were U.S. Bank (the former First Cincinnati), 1^st Financial of Hamilton, Fifth Third, and Huntington.

Currently we are the 24^th largest bank in Ohio out of 191 banks. The number of banks in Ohio and nationally, continues to decrease as a result of more government regulation and automation.

I sometimes wonder what Uncle Dan would have thought about what has happened to his bank after 150 years. I hope he would be pleased, as the bank grown and remained strong and profitable. Some things have changed, like computers, cards and mobile banking. But others have not, people still want loans for homes and to start a business. They want a safe place to keep their money. And we still have a safe or vault.

They want to speak with a knowledgeable person with the bank if they have a financial problem.

I think we have done pretty well with adapting to change over the last 150 years. But a lot more change still needs to occur.

Today, we are investing more capital into trying to provide our customers with better service. By the end of the year we hope to allow customers to apply for credit cards and auto loans at home via the internet. We have stream lined our home loan process by allowing electronic signatures for disclosures.

I am excited about our new Jackson County Banking center which will offer full branch services later on this year.

Uncle Dan started a good business 150 years ago and I look forward to seeing that it is ready for the next 150 years.

VCNB Family

Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1867

Category Archives: Bank History