Glacier Bancorp Inc., the Kalispell, Mont.-based holding company with 11 bank subsidiaries, including Coeur d'Alene-based Mountain West Bank, says it plans to combine all of its subsidiaries into one bank charter.

That means Mountain West Bank will operate as a division of Glacier Bank rather than as a subsidiary, says Russ Porter, Mountain West's president and chief operating officer.

All of the divisions will continue to operate under their current bank names, although the single charter will be under the name of Glacier Bank, Porter says.

"We're not doing any changes in services, staffing, or responsibilities," Porter says.

The consolidation will reduce separate reporting requirements and likely will lead to fewer on-site reviews by regulatory agencies, he says.

"I get to spend a lot more time working on how to make the bank better and spend more time with employees and customers rather than bank examiners," he says. "Multiply that by 11 banks, and that's where a lot of savings come in."

Following the consolidation, which is expected to be completed this spring, Glacier Bank will have $7.2 billion in assets and through its divisions will operate 102 branches in the Western U.S.

Glacier Bancorp acquired Mountain West in 2000. Mountain West operates 29 branch and office locations.