State National Bank, a 97-year-old Garfield, Wash.-based bank, is building a branch on Spokanes North Side, is looking for an additional three locations for branches in the Spokane area, and eventually might relocate its headquarters here, says Jeff Geier, the banks president and CEO.


The branch thats currently being built, at 9727 N. Nevada, behind Northpointe Plaza shopping center, will be the banks first location outside of Garfield.


Geier declines to discuss the exact locations of the other properties State National is eyeing here, but says the bank is interested in opening branches in the Spokane Valley, on the South Hill, and possibly downtown. The bank expects to open a second branch here by the fourth quarter of this year, he says.


Also, if the Spokane branches grow as quickly as the bank expects, Geier says its likely that the bank would move its headquarters here within the next three to five years. Until then, though, the bank plans to continue to be based in Garfield.


Geier says State National has specialized in serving farmers in the Garfield area for the past 96 years, but now has decided its time to offer its service to small-business owners elsewhere. He says the bank is interested in Spokane because its a growing market, unlike Garfield. He adds that Spokane is the only expansion area that the bank is targeting currently.


Weve been doing some reading and research, and it seems to us that especially small-businesspeople are searching for the kind of service we provide, Geier says. We have knowledge when it comes to serving small-business ownersgranted most of those small-business owners have been farmersbut weve decided that for a bank to be successful, you have to spread your services over a wider area.


State National currently operates one bank branch, at its headquarters in Garfield, and employs six people. The Northpointe branch, which is expected to be completed by April 1, will employ an additional five people, Geier says.


The new branch here is expected to have about 3,000 square feet of space. It will be a full-service branch, offering new accounts, loans, and other bank services. The branch also will be equipped with three drive-up teller lanes and one drive-up lane for an automatic teller machine.


As of Dec. 31, State National had total assets of $15.2 million, total deposits of $10.5 million, and total loans of $10 million.