Florence Bank Opens Fourth Branch in Hampden County

FLORENCE — Florence Bank opened its fourth Hampden County branch at 1490 Northampton St. in Holyoke on July 6.

The new, 2,500-square-foot branch, designed by HAI Architecture in Northampton, boasts a spacious lobby, traditional teller stations, five offices, a drive-up teller window, and a drive-up ATM.

“The Holyoke branch is an exciting new chapter in our 153-year history, and we look forward to supporting the people, families, organizations, and businesses of the Paper City,” President and CEO Matt Garrity said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be opening our doors to Holyoke and to meeting new friends and neighbors in the coming weeks and months.”

Shadia Coley will serve as branch manager for the new location. Coley has more than 10 years of banking experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA with a concentration in finance, both from Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to managing Florence Bank’s newest branch, she will oversee business development, community outreach and engagement, and customer service.

Coley is excited for the new branch to be open. “Serving Holyoke is more than banking; it is investing in the people and dreams that make the community thrive. My goal is to empower, engage, and educate Holyoke,” she said.

In addition to Coley, five team members will staff the branch, where customers can be assisted by tellers, meet with a customer service representative, or apply for a mortgage. Katherine Ravenelle will be the assistant branch manager, and Paola Sherman, the bank’s Spanish-speaking mortgage originator, will also be based in the new branch.

Florence Bank has nearly 6,700 customers living in Hampden County, including 1,100 business customers; more than 1,200 of those customers in Holyoke. Garrity said the bank looks forward to deepening its impact in the region.