2 new branches to complete plan

THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
The building program included four new branches and remodeling work at eight others.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
HUBBARD -- National City is nearly done with a three-year, $4.5 million Mahoning Valley building program.
Bank officials opened a new $300,000 branch Wednesday in Hubbard, which is to be followed by the opening of a new branch on Market Street in Youngstown in July.
These two branches will complete the program, said Tony Papa, senior vice president for area sales.
Cleveland-based National City looked at the area three years ago and decided it was time to remodel some branches, open some new ones and close others.
Papa said the decisions were based on the movement of the local population and the design of the branches.
Changes made: In Hubbard, for example, National City tore down a drive-through facility on West Liberty Street and replaced it with a full-service branch that also has drive-through lanes.
This branch replaces a traditional branch just down the street that did not have drive-through lanes.
In Youngstown, the new Market Street branch near Midlothian Boulevard will replace two other branches. The branches that will be closed on Market and Midlothian are within six-tenths of a mile of each other.
Papa said National City had 29 branches four years ago and will have 23 when the building program is complete.
Although there will be fewer offices, they will be in better locations for customers and will be more efficient in their design, he said. Several branches that had walk-up automated teller machines now have drive-up machines.
Other new branches have been built on Meridian Road in Youngstown and in Poland.
Bank Express: National City also has converted eight of its branches to its Bank Express format. At these branches, the interior is changed so that all employees are more accessible to customers. Employees are trained in all areas of customer relations, instead of tellers handling some work and loan officers handling other duties.
Papa said the Hubbard branch is too busy to convert to that format. It needs to have some employees dedicated to handling more specialized functions, he said.