More than just a name change

In fall of last year the First State Bank of Colfax was bought by Bank Iowa and since then Bank Iowa has been working on improvements to the building and the experience it will offer to Colfax.

Bank Iowa and First State Bank of Colfax, which was owned by Dentel Bancorp, agreed to a sale last fall. Since then Bank Iowa has been providing services to Colfax residents while also completing an extensive remodel of the building.

“We are putting about $800,000 into a remodel and it’s going to look pretty fancy,” Bank Iowa regional president James Feudner said.

The remodel isn’t only covering how the inside and outside of the building looks but also the services that will be provided. Some of these services will be ones First State Bank of Colfax customers previously didn’t have access to like remote deposit.

“We will have a lot more different products,” Feudner said.

Even though the First State Bank of Colfax was bought by Bank Iowa much of the staff has remained the same. While there will be some addition to the staff, primarily in the loan department, many of the faces will be familiar to Colfax residents.

“The other employees who are working at this location also worked with First State Bank of Colfax and have been here through the transition,” Loan assistant Carol Gonzales said.

While the remodel has gone on Feudner said there has been some concerns in the community. One in particular Feudner said dealt with the removal of trees outside of the Bank Iowa building but he said it will be remedied.

“There was a reaction from town and we do want everybody to know that they will be replaced and we will make it look nice. It will definitely beautify the downtown,” Feudner said.

Between the services, like a drive-up 24-hour ATM and the new look inside of the building a lot is going to change. On top of that Feudner said that Bank Iowa likes to be heavily involved in its communities.

“Bank Iowa has typically given a lot of money back to the community and they have volunteered a lot ... Expect to see more money put into the community on activities and expect us to volunteer more,” Feudner said.

Even though the transition has featured extensive remodeling, plastic draped around the inside of the building and countless man hours customers have still been able to complete their banking needs.

“Sometimes it can be loud and messy but we are still offering services,” Feudner said.

The staff and those at Bank Iowa are excited for the new features and services that will be provided. Whether that be the 24-hour ATM or the updated look inside the building with the technology Bank Iowa will be ready.

“This community hasn’t had a convenient access to a 24-hour ATM so we are really excited being able to provide that through our drive up lane,” Gonzales said.

The hopes for the Bank Iowa location in Colfax is that it will be completely done by the end of May or the beginning of June. Feudner said they will be planning an open house in the June or July time frame for everyone customer or not.

“We are crossing our fingers. Obviously some of this relies on weather,” Feudner said.

Even though the bank has changed names a lot will remain the same. Between the friendly service to the familiar faces. While it is a larger bank than the previous bank the small town feel will remain.

“We still have that small community feel. People come through the door and we greet them by first name. We know the people in our community who use our bank and use our services and we are still here to help them,” Gonzales said.

Once the remodel is completed and Bank Iowa looks the way they have envisioned customers will be treated the same as they were before, just with a different name of a larger bank, but that won’t change how the customers are treated.

“It is hard to find a large bank with what Bank Iowa can offer and still be a community bank,” Branch manager Toni Forck said.

Contact Dustin Teays at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or dteays@newtondailynews.com