Home National Bank recently unveiled its new location at 58 W. Walnut St. in Frankfort with plans to expand in the future.
Home National Bank was established in Thorntown in 1901 and has since developed branches in Lebanon and Frankfort. The Frankfort location along Hoke Avenue was established in 2018, but operations and plans for possible expansions were stalled during the pandemic. Todd Byrd, President and CEO of Home National Bank, commented that the move to State Road 28 was a means of creating a larger impression in Frankfort and spur the growth of the operations that Home National Bank will offer households and businesses locally.
“We had our little office over on Hoke, and we’ve had some pretty good success in loan production, so we wanted to look for a more visible location that has a little more space,” Byrd said. “We found this, and we’re hoping to continue growing our loan production by having this office.”
Byrd stated that with the expansion to Lebanon, the team began to look toward further expansions to better serve the needs of the surrounding community. After analyzing the areas that bankers were traveling from to obtain services from Home National Bank, the team realized the possibilities available with an expansion to Frankfort.
“A lot of our customers have been asking us to move into this area,” Byrd said. “At our size, it’s hard just to put in a full-service branch to start with, so we’re starting with a loan production office, and once we grow a little bit, we’re hoping to put a full-service branch in. That’s our long term goal, and hopefully at this location.”
Clinton County Chamber of Commerce Board President Wanda Mitchell coined the stretch along State Road 28 as “financial row” with the addition of Home National Bank to the area, which she stated would help act as a catalyst for competition and growth. Byrd echoed Mitchell’s statement, promoting the idea of additional competition in the area that he believes will eventually lead every financial institution in the area to strive for the best opportunities possible.
“It’s nice to have competition,” Byrd said. “We’re an alternative to what’s here, and we feel like we do a pretty good job with what we do, so we’re fine with that. It helps us and helps them at the same time.”
Byrd concluded by stating that the Home National Bank’s appeal lies within its customer service and
hometown feel that has been developed within the small Thorntown community and is a primary focus during its expansions into the neighboring areas.
“We specialize in residential and small commercial or ag business,” Byrd said. “If you have a question, you know who you’re talking to. You’re not calling a call center or anything, you’re talking to someone you know. We know what your business is. We know where your home’s at. It’s different than if you don’t know that.”
Home National Bank is officially open and operational at 58 W. Walnut St. in Frankfort and may be contacted at 765-670-6697 for loan services.