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Gettysburg-based ACNB Bank is testing the waters of the Lancaster County market with a new loan office opening next week in Manheim Township.
For the new office to succeed, ACNB sought loan officers that could help it build a relationship with the area’s business community, according to Jim Helt, president and CEO of ACNB.
Staffing the new office are Adnan Pasic and Ryan Wilhelm, two Lancaster County residents with years of lending experience in the area. Both worked most recently for PeoplesBank, which is based in York Township, York County.
“They live in Lancaster and have an existing clientele in Lancaster. For us to come into the market without knowing anyone, it wouldn’t have worked,” Helt said.
Pasic was hired as a vice president and Lancaster market executive. Wilhelm is a vice president and commercial loan officer.
They will be based out of the office, which is at 160 North Pointe Blvd., and are responsible for building commercial customer relationships in the county.
ACNB has 22 branches in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties and a loan office in Spring Garden Township, York County. A division of the company, NWSB Bank, operates seven branches in Maryland.
Helt said the Lancaster County market is a natural extension of ACNB Bank’s current footprint in Central Pennsylvania. He also cited Lancaster’s similarity to Gettysburg as a hub for tourism, with more restaurants and hotels than other counties.
“We understand that niche business and we believe we have something to offer,” he said.
The opening of a loan office is a strategy that ACNB has used in York, Chambersburg and Franklin counties. Helt said the idea is to test the market and the Lancaster community before eventually opening a full-service branch.
“Starting on the commercial side and building up those relationships over time with the lending avenues is a more efficient and productive path to success,” he said.