Community National to open Augusta bank branch on Jan. 5

Three months after opening a loan production office in Augusta, Community National Bank & Trust will convert the office to a full-service branch on Jan. 5.

That’s according to Eric Grooms, president of the Augusta market, who opened Community National’s loan office there on Oct. 6.

“It’s been fun, but it’s a lot of work,” he said Friday. “When you start a bank from scratch, there’s a lot involved — right down to the paper clips.”

Grooms said the bank will have enough staff when it opens as a branch. He’s hired six full-time and one part-time employees.

The branch will be located in the same building as the loan office, which is at 512 State St.

That’s the same building that once housed Augusta-based Prairie State Bank.

Grooms said the branch hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Community National is an $844 million bank based in Chanute. It operates 26 offices in 11 Kansas counties.

This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Community National to open Augusta bank branch on Jan. 5."