Formed more than a century ago in 1913, Citizens Bank has been a longstanding pillar of the Columbia community. Citizens Bank prides itself on being a community institution that can help customers with all of their banking needs.
“On a day-to-day basis we try to meet and do meet the financial needs of our customers in all of the communities we serve,” Vice President and Marketing Officer Leitha Chapman said. “We have locations in Tylertown, Magnolia, Sumrall, Seminary, Bellevue and Laurel. We meet their needs with deposit services like checking and savings accounts, CD options and things like that. We also try to meet their lending needs as well for both consumer and commercial (lending).”
What has allowed Citizens Bank to excel over such a long period of time is it is as tightknit as the community itself.
“We’re part of the community; we’ve been a part of the community; and we’re going to be a part of the community. We know the people that we serve. We’re your friends and your neighbors. We treat people like family,” Chapman said. “Our slogan is ‘Welcome home to family banking,’ and our customers really are welcomed home when they come here and really are part of their family.”
Chapman started in banking as a teenager at Baton Rouge Bank and always knew she wanted to be in the industry. Almost 31 years ago, Chapman got a job at Citizens Bank and has been there ever since. She said interacting with people from different walks of life is what she enjoys most.
“I love that we can help people and meet their needs. (I love) that day-to-day interaction,” she said. “We meet a lot of different people, and at the end of the day you leave feeling like you helped make somebody’s life better.”
The original office was at the corner of Main Street and Second Street and moved to its current location, 814 Main St., in the 1970s and has more than 75 employees at its main office.
Chapman said customer service plays a large role in the bank’s enduring success.
“Providing great customer service is how we meet the needs of our customers. We treat them like family, and the way we do that is by providing them with exceptional customer service,” she said. “We’re always trying to be a little bit better and go that extra mile for our customers. That’s why we’ve been here since 1913.”
President and Chief Lending Officer Chip Williamson said the bank’s biggest goal is to meet the needs of the community.
“We have a pulse on everything we think that’s happening in the community,” he said. “We want to help new businesses come in. We want to help existing businesses to expand or improve. And when new people move into this area, we want to be their bank and supply their banking needs.”
Williamson added that having loan decisions made locally has been beneficial.
“We have always had an advantage in our bank because we can make the quickest loan decisions of any bank in our area,” he said. “Our loan officers have the loan authority to do that. We do not have to send packages out of town to get approved. We can get them approved here. We have loan meetings every week. If it has to go to a loan committee, it can be approved the same week it was applied for.”
Citizens Bank is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 until 5 on Friday and the drive through at the U.S. 98 branch is open from 9 until noon on Saturday. It also has ATMs at every location that are 24/7.
Customers can contact the Main Street branch at (601) 736-2601, the U.S. 98 branch at (601) 731-6051, the mortgage center at (601) 731-5398 and the bank at its website www.citizensbk.com.
Pictured Above: Citizens Bank executives include Chris Smith, Cole Oglesbee, Leitha Chapman, Geoffrey McMichael, Chip Williamson and Daniel Clark. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
