As part of "Community Banking Week", the Jim Thorpe National Bank (JTNB) hosted area school students who were selected by their schools based on their academic achievements.

Each student received a framed document honoring their achievements.The students were also treated to a personal tour of JTNB's office and banking facilities concluding with a delicious meal, courtesy of JTNB, on the deck at Molly Maguires Pub & Steakhouse.One student, Maureen Kloap, was randomly chosen to be CEO for a day.While speaking to the students, Craig Zurn, JTNB President and CEO, talked about the importance of local community banks to the communities that they serve.He noted that community banks are independent, locally owned institutions that operate differently from larger, regional financial institutions and are run by local people.They do more than accept deposits and make loans, they provide personal attention to the needs of the citizens and towns in which they are located.What sets these community banks apart from their larger counterparts is the fact that 95 percent of their loans are reinvested into the local community.Decisions are made on the spot, so loan requests don't have to be sent to some distant home office.The money a customer deposits into a community bank, such as JTNB, is recycled back into the local market to help it prosper.The Jim Thorpe National Bank is the oldest community bank in Carbon County.