18 Press Enterprise n Saturday, February 27, 2016

By SHAWN H. STAIRPress Enterprise Special Editions Editor

BLOOMSBURG — Even as it strives to offer customers the latest in online banking technology such as Mobile Check Deposit, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. remains committed to the personal touch of a community bank at local branches. In 2017, it plans to open its 14th community branch — and first in Montour County — at the intersec-tion of Route 11 and Railroad Street in Danville, near the Dunkin’ Donuts.

First Columbia acquired the land in Danville in 2015, after having spent a few years researching the site options. Lance Diehl, president and CEO, said it remains important to have a physical presence in the community with tradi-tional brick and mortar branches.

While First Columbia already has many customers in Montour County, it hopes the new branch will attract new ones, including from Geisinger’s large employee base.

“Location is very important to cus-tomers, and we worked to find a site that will provide easy and convenient access for them,” Diehl said.

First Columbia is constantly re-searching the latest, state-of-the-art banking options and looking at ways to incorporate the newest tools and tech-nology. As such, the Danville branch will have new features the others don’t.

Technology, securityIn the latter part of 2015, the bank

began offering Mobile Check Deposit as a convenient way to make bank de-posits. By accessing the bank’s Mobile Banking app, customers can now de-posit checks electronically by taking a picture of their checks from their smartphone or tablet device at their convenience.

“This is something you can do any-time, whether you are traveling or don’t want to go out in a snowstorm,” Diehl said.

Tabitha McCormick, vice president, e-banking & customer support, noted that if a check is submitted by 7 p.m. on a business day, it will be available in the account the next business day.

To learn more about Mobile Check Deposit, including an instructional vid-eo, visit www.firstcolumbiabank.com/Personal-MobileCheckDeposit.htm.

Of course, with an expanded use of technology comes an increased con-cern about security.

“Our primary goal is the safety and security of our customers’ informa-tion, so we have advanced security sys-tems in place,” said Diehl.

First Columbia underwent a major upgrade in its online banking capabili-ties, including security, in 2014. While this has created more steps for custom-

ers to go through, it has greatly en-hanced security.

“We won’t sacrifice security for con-venience,” Diehl said.

One of the strongest components is the secure code process that requires out of band authentication. When you log into online banking and the system does not recognize your device, you must supply a code provided to you via call or text to prove your identity. Mc-Cormick said most other institutions

don’t offer this security feature.

Best of both worldsWhether you bank in person or on-

line, First Columbia is uniquely posi-tioned to deliver banking services to customers no matter how they choose to bank these days.

While the advent of new technolo-gies has allowed for super convenient, real-time service that many customers enjoy, many more still want to know there’s a real live banker nearby who can offer guidance, solutions and per-sonal service — not to mention a cup of coffee and friendly conversation.

First Columbia has reaffirmed its commitment as a community bank to serve the smaller market areas, such as Catawissa and Millville. These are communities where larger regional banks have withdrawn in recent years.

In addition, it continues to build strong customer relationships across the region, which it attributes to being convenient and accessible and provid-ing a level of personal service that is not easy to find with the regional and national bank franchises.

Social mediaBuilding on its valued face-to-face

communication with customers, First Columbia has also begun establishing a social media presence to keep in touch. A new business Facebook page was launched late last year. You can like, share and engage with the bank at www.Facebook.com/firstcolumbiabank.

“As a community bank, Facebook is an ideal place to share what we are doing in our communities,” said Maria Valles, marketing director.

The bank has purchased software to help it manage its social media pres-ence and plans to soon expand into sites like Instagram and Twitter.

First Columbia is committed to be-

ing an involved corporate citizen, and social media is an excellent way for it to share all that it does to support the local community.

“We are evolving to meet people where they are,” said Diehl.

MortgagesFirst Columbia is the leading mort-

gage lender in Columbia County, clos-ing more mortgages than the next six local financial institutions combined.

The bank says there’s a reason for this. Buying a home is a big step, and many people want to partner with a local lender who will be with them through-out the process. They want a locally based expert whom they can talk with face-to-face, someone they can call with questions and, importantly, someone they can trust with such a big purchase decision. This uniquely personal ap-proach keeps First Columbia at the fore-front when it comes to buying a home.

“We have a great team of lenders and support staff to work with borrow-ers and Realtors to find the best prod-ucts and rates,” said Diehl.

About First ColumbiaHeadquartered in Bloomsburg, First

Columbia is a locally owned and man-aged bank with 13 branches in Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Buckhorn, Ca-tawissa, Elysburg, Lightstreet, Oran-geville, Millville and Scott Township.

First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. has been Columbia County’s commu-nity bank for over 117 years with $647 million in assets as of Dec. 31, 2015. The nearly 200 First Columbia employees offer a full complement of banking and financial services to individuals and businesses throughout Columbia County and the surrounding area.

To learn more about this communi-ty bank, visit www.firstcolumbiabank.com.

First Columbia Bank to open Danville branch

Special to Press EnterpriseIN 2017, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. plans to open its 14th community branch — and first in Montour County — at the intersection of Route 11 and Railroad Street in Danville, near the Dunkin’ Donuts.

Press Enterprise/Bill HughesFIRST COLUMBIA BANK & TRUST CO. vice president for e-banking & cus-tomer support Tabitha McCormick uses a smartphone to demonstrate Mobile Check Deposit, a feature of the bank’s Mobile Banking app.