Farmers And Merchants Bank Opening New Branch

Farmers and Merchants Bank last week announced plans to open a new branch on Southeast Boulevard just south of 29th Avenue.

It marks the fourth time in recent months that Farmers and Merchants has announced the opening of a new branch.

Ric Odegard, the bank’s chief operating officer, said Farmers and Merchants is building a larger network of branches to make its services more convenient to customers.

The new branch is being built at 3002 Southeast Boulevard, just west of the Lincoln Heights Home Center and Nursery.

The city plans to extend Southeast Boulevard to Regal Street in the next two to three years.

Odegard said that will put the new branch on the right hand side for customers driving home to subdivisions in southeast Spokane.

Farmers and Merchants also has opened express branches in three Tidyman’s stores, including the new store on the Cheney-Spokane Road.

Odegard is on the board of Tidyman’s, and he said that relationship has helped him work out details for operating the express banks in the stores.

The new branch will be 3,800 square feet and will be finished in brick. A stained glass window with the bank’s trademark heart is planned for the entryway.

“We want something we are going to be proud of that the neighborhood will like,” Odegard said.

The branch will include two drive-through lanes, an automated teller machine and two traditional teller counters inside.

Odegard said he is planning to sign a contract with a brokerage firm to provide a wide range of investment services. Trust writing also will be available at the new branch.

The new branch is expected to open in October. It will be the first full-service branch on the South Side.

Farmers and Merchants is a locally-based bank that has operated for more than 90 years in the Spokane region. It was founded in Rockford.

, DataTimes