Greenfield Savings to close satellite branches in Northampton, Amherst downtowns

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Staff Writer

Published: 07-31-2023 5:15 PM

NORTHAMPTON — Greenfield Savings Bank will close two underperforming satellite branches in downtown Northampton and Amherst this fall, while at the same time renovating other branches in those municipalities to provide additional services to customers.

The locations to be closed down are the bank’s 207 Main St. location in Northampton across from City Hall, and at 108 North Pleasant St. in Amherst. The bank has given a 90-day notice to the owners of those buildings, and the branches are expected to close by Oct. 31.

Greenfield Savings CEO Tom Meshako told the Gazette that the closures were based on recommendations made by a consulting firm, based on the lower usage and lack of a drive-up lanes compared to the bank’s locations at 325 King St. in Northampton and at 6 University Dr. in Amherst, both of which are remaining open.

“They’re not only staying open, but we’ve done major multiyear upgrades to both of those facilities,” Meshako said, referring to the King Street and University Drive locations. “Customers prefer locations with drive-ups, and we’re seeing a lot of that in the market right now.”

The bank’s drive-up service includes a video connection to a teller, allowing the customer to cash checks and withdraw money without having to go inside the office, a feature which grew in popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic, Meshako said.

He also stated that no jobs would be eliminated as a result of the closures. A total of four employees were stationed at the closing branch locations, and those employees are expected to transfer to the bank’s King Street and University Drive locations, as well as the 140 Russell St. branch in Hadley.

Upgrades to the branches that are staying open include an additional drive-up service lane for the University Drive location, and the implementation of additional office space and an education center at the King Street branch.

“We’re still servicing customers while the renovation is ongoing,” Meshako said of the King Street renovations. “It’s really quite exciting about the improvement there, and we’re going to have a grand opening when that’s ready.”

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Despite the closure of the two branches, Meshako said that the bank is continuing to do well financially.

“We don’t want this to be seen as a negative by any means,” he said. “We’re still looking to continue to grow the organization.”

Other than the two branches closing, there are currently eight Greenfield Savings Bank branches located across Franklin and Hampshire counties, including its main location in Greenfield.

Shandra Richardson, the bank’s senior operations officer, said the bank is continuing to expand its customer base across Hampshire County at the three branches in the county that are remaining open.

“We’re growing in market share in Hampshire County,” Richardson said.

The Main Street and North Pleasant locations first opened in 2016, hoping to take advantage of the locations’ proximity to Smith College and UMass Amherst. The University Drive and King Street locations opened in 2001 and 2011, respectively. The bank’s Hadley branch location opened in 2018.

Franklin County branches are located in Greenfield, Conway, Shelburne Falls, Turners Falls and South Deerfield.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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