The Metamora State Bank staff, board, and customers have something to celebrate. The Sylvania branch, located on the corner of Centennial and Sylvania Metamora roads, was built and opened 30 years ago in 1995.
“This is a huge milestone for us,” noted President/CEO Kathleen Fischer. A ribbon-cutting event marked the beginning of a day-long celebration on Oct. 31 commemorating the Sylvania branch opening. “Our founding members realized that many bank customer families were moving to the new developments expanding west from Sylvania. Having a convenient bank location made good sense and has proved to be a very good move,” she said.
“While we continue to grow and add services such as online and mobile banking options for customer convenience, we stand firm in our commitment to remain an independent, locally-owned community bank. We also take pride in the relationships we have with our customers, many of whom have been with the bank their entire lives. We count several four-and five-generation families who bank with us,” she explained. Trust and personal service are two key watchwords for the bank family, and those concepts are woven into every aspect of the bank.
“Our customers like to come into the bank and enjoy having one-on-one conversations with our staff. They like that we know them and their families, and they also appreciate that live voices answer phones,” Fischer offered. “Also, because we know our customers, we can work with them in challenging times where some of the larger institutions do not have that flexibility,” she noted.
For example, during the pandemic, Metamora State Bank was able to help over 100 local small businesses with government-funded PPP loans, helping them stay in business and pay their employees. Over $5,000,000 was loaned during the 2020-2021 period.
“We also take pride in the fact that we invest locally. As a community bank, we only lend money to those in the market areas we serve,” she reported. “Depositors know their investments are working right in their own area, not being shipped off to some other region.”
Those market areas include a 10-mile radius of each banking center, Metamora, since 1944, Sylvania, 1995, and the Maumee location, which opened in 2019. The market area also includes parts of lower eastern Michigan.
What was started in 1944 in Metamora, Ohio, by four local businessmen may look quite different to present-day customers. However, the watchwords, “trust and personal service,” remain as guiding principles. “Trust is our top priority,” Fischer emphasized.
Today, board members include Chairman David Pifer, a long-time stockholder and former bank employee, former president James Armstrong, Jan Watkins, Constance Reichert, Joseph Damman, and Kathleen Fischer.