Finance Monthly hears from Linda Moneymaker, Branch Manager and Loan Officer at Anderson Brothers Bank’s Summerville office, who introduces us to the bank’s history and tells us what makes it the preferred choice among clients in South Carolina.

In 1933, Mr. Ernest Anderson and his brother, Mr. Bishop Bonar Anderson, responded to the needs of several tobacco warehousemen from Mullins, South Carolina who requested financial assistance. The two brothers established Anderson Brothers Bank in the back of the Anderson Warehouse in Mullins. This small office was used to loan money to warehousemen so they could issue checks to farmers immediately following the sale of tobacco. Loans were paid off as tobacco companies such as Reynolds, American and Imperial paid the warehouses several weeks later for the tobacco purchased. The small office quickly evolved into a depository and eventually moved to Main Street, across from the Bank’s present main office in Mullins. Today, under the leadership of Mr. Ernest Anderson’s grandsons, Anderson Brothers Bank remains family-owned and operated. David E. Anderson serves as President and CEO, joined by his brothers Neal, Chairman of the Board, and Tommy, Vice President.

Anderson Brothers Bank has grown from a small operation in the back of a tobacco warehouse to 22 branches throughout the Pee Dee, Coastal and Lowcountry regions in South Carolina with over $650 million in assets. Despite our continuous growth, we have remained committed to our customers by providing innovative financial products and services that meet their needs, while also being heavily involved in our communities through outreach programmes, sponsorships and donations to civic organizations.

Before joining the Anderson Brothers Bank team in March 2017, I spent 20 years in Banking and 13 years in Consumer Finance, holding positions from entry-level customer service to management. When Anderson Brothers Bank decided to expand into the Summerville area with a brick-and-mortar location, they asked me to consider joining their ‘family’ as Branch Manager. I knew it would be a welcoming change to be empowered to help my customers. Over the course of a year, we have hired great talent and we continue to integrate successfully in the competitive Lowcountry banking market. Our customers even tell us that we are ‘the friendliest bank in town’ in which we take great pride.

Through my years of experience, I have found that listening to my customers so I can fully understand their needs is the key to my success. As a matter of fact, I am blessed to have customers refer their friends and family to me based on how I treat them from the moment they enter our lobby. This is also part of Anderson Brothers Bank’s motto of ‘treating you like family’.  Above all else, I realise my achievements as a Branch Manager and Loan Officer is a result of a team effort at ABB.

Our Summerville branch’s strip mall location is the first of its kind with Anderson Brothers Bank and is related to cultural influences by this generation of consumers who require less face-to-face interaction and increased mobile and online banking. While we provide a wonderful, friendly lobby atmosphere in which to bank, we also offer innovative mobile and online banking, online mortgage application and will soon offer online account opening and a deposit-taking ATM in place of the standard ATM in our branch parking lot. Anderson Brothers Bank has built its reputation on helping individuals, families and businesses as they journey along life’s path and, here at the Summerville branch, we strive to maintain that status. While larger, corporate banks continue to acquire smaller, hometown banks, we remain family-owned, a place where employees know our customers by name and business is often conducted on the strength of a handshake.

Website: https://www.abbank.com