First Place Bank closes two branches

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Two branches of First Place Bank have closed and are now consolidated into nearby branches.

Locations in Canfield and Austintown have both been consolidated with newer locations in those communities that are less than a mile and a half away, said Alicia Miller, who is corporate vice president and marketing manager at First Place Bank.

Letters were sent to customers of First Place Bank to let them know about the closings, which occurred last Friday.

“When the newer locations were opened, the plan was to consolidate those locations,” Miller said. “The decision was to leave the Westgate [Mahoning Avenue in Austintown] and Canfield branches open and monitor the traffic of all the locations. Again, after careful review of customer patterns and traffic at these locations, it was decided to consolidate these two branches.”

The company continually reviews its locations and evaluates factors including financial, economic and demographic information, she said.

The goal is to ensure the most effective and efficient banking network possible, she added.

Based on these considerations, it was decided to consolidate into the newer branches because they were determined to be better locations, Miller said. The two new locations are on state Route 46 in Austintown and U.S. Route 224 in Canfield.

The consolidation has nothing to do with the company’s issues with online operations that caused frustration for First Place customers in July or the change in ownership to Talmer Bancorp, Miller said. The change in ownership created the change in online banking systems that left a number of customers locked out of their accounts.

No additional branches are expected to close, she said.