United Bank announces expansion

Date: 5/15/2013

LONGMEADOW – Richard B. Collins, president and CEO of United Bank, announced on May 3 that the bank will soon begin a significant expansion of its current branch located in the Longmeadow Shops on Bliss Road.

"When the landlord, Grove Property Management, offered us the additional space next door to our existing branch, we jumped at the offer," Collins said. "We have been in Longmeadow since 1997 and have been delighted by the warm reception given to us by the community. We opened our existing branch in the Longmeadow Shops in 2001. We believe that The Shops provides an excellent location for us to serve the banking needs of the Longmeadow community."

Collins said the future branch will be a financial center complete with retail banking, mortgage, commercial, and business lending, as well as wealth management and financial planning representatives.

"We understand the needs of the Longmeadow community," Jeff Sullivan, chief operating officer, said. "This expansion gives us the opportunity to create a new financial center that can serve all of the community's needs in one convenient location."

According to Sullivan, the future branch will include a larger lobby, private offices, a walk-up ATM and safe deposit boxes. The branch expansion is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year with a grand opening in early 2014. The present branch will remain open during the renovations.

The promotion of current Longmeadow Shops branch Personal Banker Teresa Parker to the position of Springfield Region mortgage originator was announced recently. She will work from the current Longmeadow Shops location in her new position. Personal Banker Nicole Skelly will transfer from East Longmeadow to the Longmeadow branch to fill that position.

"We are excited for both Teresa and Nicole to step into their new roles. Our team approach to banking means they will both be serving the Longmeadow customers along with the other members of the Longmeadow branch banking team," Collins said.

The Longmeadow Shops branch staff also includes Emma Mesa-Melendez, customer service representative; Kelly Bizon, branch operations supervisor; Lidia Ramos, assistant branch operations supervisor; and tellers Michele Duval and Victoria Gosine.