Sky Bank takeover by Huntington nears completion

A new sign in downtown Youngstown goes up this weekend.

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

Huntington National Bank will become part of the Mahoning Valley on Saturday as its takeover of Sky Bank is completed.

The conversion of customer accounts to the new system takes place that morning, and new bank signs will be unveiled that day.

Frank Hierro, president of the bank’s Mahoning Valley region, said preparations for the changeover have been under way since Huntington announced last December that it was buying Sky in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $3.6 billion.

“We’re anxious to open as Huntington,” he said.

Columbus-based Huntington had no branches in this area, so none of Sky’s 33 local branches is being closed with the merger.

Also still in place will be Sky’s commercial lending, private banking and insurance groups as well as its trust operations.

Hierro said customers will benefit from advanced technology that Huntington uses at teller stations. The system allows for faster transactions because account information can be called up rapidly by swiping a check or deposit slip.

Customers also will see new online banking products and improved options on traditional accounts, Hierro said. For example, Huntington offers a checking account that allows customers to choose from one to five free options, depending on their account. These cover using a non-Huntington ATM, a safe deposit box, overdraft protection, check orders and check image statements.

Valley offices

The Mahoning Valley will continue to be home to some support services to the company.

The downtown Youngstown office has about 100 employees. It has a group that provides underwriting services for small-business loans and a technical support group that handles customer service calls for online business banking.

The two offices in downtown Warren have about 60 workers, including workers who process mortgages for all of eastern Ohio.

Hierro said a call center in Warren has been eliminated. Bank officials are looking to place about a dozen workers in other jobs with Huntington, he said.

One of the most recognizable changes in Youngstown will be the new sign that will be erected on top of the bank’s building downtown. The large letters of the Sky sign were taken down this past weekend, and the Huntington logo is to put up this coming weekend.

A bank sign on top of the building has been part of downtown for a long time. Mahoning National Bank posted its name atop the building many years ago. That sign was replaced in 1999 when Sky bought Mahoning, which had been based in Youngstown.

Sky Bank was part of Sky Financial Group, which was based in Bowling Green. Sky itself was formed in 1998 when Citizens Bank, which was based in Salineville in Columbiana County, merged with Mid Am Inc. of Bowling Green.

Marty Adams, a Salineville native who led Sky, is now president and chief operating officer of Huntington.

shilling@vindy.com