Bank is Back: PennCrest Set to Open Williamsburg Branch Oct. 17

PennCrest Bank's purchase of Mid Penn Bank's Williamsburg office has received regulatory approval and is scheduled to begin operations on Oct. 17.

Last December, Mid Penn, the borough's only bank, announced it was closing its Williamsburg location, forcing residents travel out of town to do their banking.

PennCrest, based in Altoona, stepped up last spring and entered into a purchase assumption agreement with Mid Penn, taking on certain deposit liabilities and loans. The agreement also called for residential and municipal accounts to be transferred to PennCrest after the sale was completed.

In a letter sent to customers last week, PennCrest president and CEO William Ritenour announced the sale was complete and the bank will open its doors later this month.

"We are excited to be part of the Williamsburg community," Ritenour wrote.

To ease the transition, PennCrest sent customers an information packet explaining the bank's services and conversion of their accounts from Mid Penn to PennCrest. Customers also began receiving their new debit cards and checks.

PennCrest customers will see a familiar face when doing their banking with Williamsburg resident Sue Hetrick being named assistant manager in charge of day-to-day operations. Missy Dolansky, who is the manager of PennCrest's Altoona and Hollidaysburg locations has been named the Williamsburg branch manager and will split her time among the three branches.

When PennCrest announced its intention to come to Williamsburg, Mayor Ted Hyle said he saw the community bank as a great fit for the borough and that customers will determine its longevity.

"We need to support it," Hyle said. "Like every business that comes to town, you either use it or lose it."

Hyle said the addition of PennCrest, along with several businesses that opened this past year, has the borough on an upward trend.

"We are filling some of those voids in town and we are going in the direction to do that," Hyle said. "The bank can be a cornerstone to that."

In his letter to customers, Ritenour said the process of bringing a new bank to the community is not as simple as unlocking the doors but assured everyone that PennCrest employees are available to help guide customers through the process.

"There is still a lot of work to be done to bring full-service banking back to Williamsburg," Ritenour wrote. "We understand change can be difficult, but we are doing everything we can to make the transition as smooth as possible. We look forward to being your neighbor."