Linkbank opens two branches

Linkbank has officially opened branches in Lancaster and Cumberland counties.

Citing an increase in bank consolidation over the past five years thinning out competition, Camp Hill-based Linkbank saw an opportunity to open two branches in the region. They are in Camp Hill, Cumberland County and Manheim Township, Lancaster County.

Growing the business in Central Pennsylvania was the bank’s plan from the start, according to Andrew Samuel, chairman and CEO of the bank.

“All of our employees and directors have a passion for southcentral Pennsylvania so we wanted to be in the community,” Samuel said. “We feel there is room for another community bank here with a group of bankers and investors committed to the area.”

The Camp Hill office, at 3045 Market St., will also double as the company’s headquarters which had been in West Chester. The startup bank formed last year after acquiring the bankrupt Stonebridge Bank, a West Chester company with one branch and $58 million in assets.  Linkbank had 12 employees when it acquired Stonebridge in 2018 and has now grown to 39.

Samuel said there are many quality banks where Linkbank is opening branches but he said more than 70 business owners in Lancaster and Cumberland counties have shown interest in the new bank.

“There has been a lot of consolidation in southcentral Pennsylvania over the last five years,” he said.

Linkbank’s focus on the community, meanwhile, is exemplified by its Link Foundation, according to Samuel. The Link Foundation, a nonprofit group funded with an initial contribution of $250,000 from the bank, was created to find worthwhile beneficiaries in the communities around its branches. The foundation is funded by a share of the bank’s earnings and its board includes local leaders from West Chester, Camp Hill and Manheim Township.