By Tim Leeds
The signs they are a-changin'.
A new sign will be up on Fifth Avenue next week when First Security Bank of Havre changes its name on Monday. The sign, with the time and temperature display below, will now show the new name of Independence Bank.
There will be an open house on Wednesday, July 5, in celebration of the name change. The bank will be closed July 4, in honor of Independence Day.
Chuck Celenia, president of the bank, said they are making the change reluctantly. The locally-owned bank has had the same name since it opened in March of 1973. He said they have acquired four branch banks over the years, and since the First Security Bank name is already taken by another chain, they wanted to find a different name people could identify with their bank in all five branches.
"We tried to choose a name we thought would be profound," he said.
The bank now has branches in Glasgow, Malta, Poplar and Scobey, as well as Havre.
Celenia said the services at the bank won't be any different. He said it will actually be an improvement, since customers will be able to easily identify the branches at all locations and know they can receive the same service on their accounts in those towns.
Kay Meyer, the vice president in charge of human resources, said the open house is just an invitation for people to come in and see the bank under it's new name.
"No big hoopla," she said, "just coffee, cookies, punch, give away a few things. Just to get people used to the new name."
