Metropolitan to add new Springfield branch

The bank, which has 11 facilities including two in Springfield, plans to add a third Springfield location in the 2900 block of East Battlefield Road.

The bank, located next to Claremont Commons Office Condominiums, will feature a customer lounge in the lobby, drive-through teller lanes, 24-hour automated teller machine services and offices for on-site commercial and retail lending services.

Metropolitan President Dave Tooley said that a combination of deposit and lending services is one of the strengths of his company.

“One of the things we’ve done is to make sure we have a facility that will serve both the borrower and the depositor,” he said. “It’s more traditional than some of the retail sites you see now that are smaller. That doesn’t mean that they’re wrong; we just feel that we work better as a full-service company, offering both sides of the business at each location.”

The new bank, scheduled for completion in fall 2006, is being designed by Slone Architects. Tooley said it’s too early for a cost estimate, because exact plans are not complete, but the approximately 4,000-square-foot facility could cost $1 million to $2 million.

Metropolitan also is adding a new drive-through ATM kiosk at the Battlefield Marketplace. Both projects, Tooley said, are an attempt to expand the bank’s south Springfield presence.

“We felt like in this primary market we needed to spread out,” he said. “Battlefield (Road) is certainly a growing, thriving area as you catch Highway 65 going north and south. We also have existing customers in the area that are driving to us, and we felt like it was time to not only try to serve them but develop other customers in that market.”

Metropolitan has two Springfield locations, at 600 S. Glenstone and 3550 S. National. [[In-content Ad]]