Bank’s closure sows doubt in Geraldine, Montana while other parts of the state are experiencing a banking boom.

With its red brick façade, the bank on Main Street here has lent an air of permanence and stability to this farm and ranch community for more than 90 years.

These days, the two bank employees perform their duties behind a brass teller cage and a sea of oak woodwork darkened by time. Wooden floors creak when customers walk in. A pair of stuffed golden eagles perched above the vault keeps an eye on the happenings below.

There’s no automated teller machine. No drive-through lane either. The bank doors are locked during the noon hour, a reflection of the pace of commerce in Geraldine.

But the future of banking in this central Montana community is clouded. Great Falls-based Heritage Bank plans to close the Geraldine branch at the end of October, leaving residents worried about the economic viability of their small community.

By JAMES E. LARCOMBE Tribune Business Editor

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/NEWS01/609240304/1002

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Banking boom

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

Construction, real-estate sales drive growth of local financial industry

The Daily Inter Lake

Perhaps “booming” is the best way to describe the financial industry in the Flathead Valley.

New branches, expansions and acquisitions are in the works for many financial institutions in the valley, part of economic growth that is driven primarily by steady in-migration and a robust construction industry.

Government officials and economic experts across the country are debating the impacts a cooling housing market might have on the nation’s economy. In the Flathead Valley, however, it remains a non-issue as the housing market continues to flourish, and the economy’s pulse beats as strong as ever.

“I would think it’s the general economy that’s been fueling the [banking] explosion,” said Bob Schneider, president of First Interstate Bank in Kalispell. “The general economy in the Flathead has been very, very good for the last six, seven, eight, nine years.”

Full Story: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2006/09/17/business/bus01.txt

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Banks aren’t fading in Montana; They’re following the people

By JAMES E. LARCOMBE Tribune Business Editor

Banking appears to be a growth industry in many parts of Montana.

Great Falls-based Heritage has 13 banking offices around the state, including three in the Electric City. It recently established a new branch in Billings and is working on another in Hamilton.

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The Flathead Valley is home to what some have described as a financial industry boom.

Players include bigger Montana companies such as First Interstate Bank and Glacier Bancorp, along with smaller banking operations and credit unions.

While there are about 85 individually chartered banks in the state, down from 92 a half-decade ago, access to banking offices has increased significantly.

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/NEWS01/609240302/1002