The Neffs National Bank on Monday opened the doors of the new Palmerton branch location at 372 Delaware Ave. in the historic building that was once the The Citizens Bank and Trust Company.

The Palmerton office is the third branch/office along with locations in Neffs and Walnutport.

Chartered in 1928, the Citizens Bank moved into the current building in 1930, and operated there until 1999.

Over the next 23 years, the building housed other banks before becoming vacant.

Kevin Schmidt, President and CEO, the Neffs National Bank, said they are excited to open the Palmerton branch office.

“It seems like such a long time since we acquired the property, but we have been hard at work with various renovations/upgrades and bringing the building back to its former glory while preserving the heritage,” Schmidt said. “We want to thank all of our contractors, board members and staff for their support during this process.”

Schmidt added, “This is a strong, vibrant and growing community.

“With our motto of Strength, Trust, Community, we are committed to financial strength, a trusted partnership and an active community membership. We look forward to providing the financial products and services that our customers and the greater Palmerton community needs and deserves.”

A grand opening ceremony will be announced at a later date this spring.

Branch management

• Dakota Lichtenwalner, branch manager, joins The Neffs National Bank with over 10 years of banking experience helping individuals and small businesses achieve their financial goals. She is passionate about building strong relationships within the local community and providing financial solutions that make a real difference. Lichtenwalner, a resident of Palmerton, is actively involved in the community.

• Alanda Gross, assistant branch manager, has 6 years of banking experience, the last 2 years having been in the management role. She grew up in and graduated from Palmerton Area School District. Gross looks forward to getting involved with the community and surrounding areas as well meeting new and returning customers to assist them with their banking needs.

Since 1923 The Neffs National Bank, a subsidiary of Neffs Bancorp, Inc., remains committed to serving the financial needs of their clients and local communities with high quality customer focus. With their roots firmly planted in the local community, The Neffs National Bank is proud to be growing and expanding their footprint to better serve their current and future customers, and providing community service including food drives, school supply drives, Toys for Tots, EITC Tax Credit giving, a generous donation policy and more.