GAINESVILLE, Ga., Oct. 5, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Bank of Athens has now opened for business and is located at 110 Trinity Place, just off U.S. 129 and across from the Athens Country Club. The new bank offers a full line of business and personal banking services, including Internet banking with cash management and Trust and Investments and is positioned to serve the fast-growing Athens-Clarke and Oconee County areas. President Scott Wayne recently announced that his management team is in place and ready to serve customers.
In addition to Mr. Wayne, Mike Harris joins Bank of Athens as Vice-President of Commercial Banking. Mr. Harris has over 20 years of banking experience in commercial lending, private banking, business and retail banking, corporate trust administration, mortgage services, accounting and ATM operations. He attended the University of Georgia and holds a BBA in Management from Georgia State University. Mike Harris has been actively involved in community organizations including United Way, the American Heart Association, Oconee County Little League, the Monroe Rotary Club and is a graduate of Leadership Walton.
Tori Haack joins the bank as Vice-President of Commercial Banking. A local banker with over 13 years of banking experience in commercial real estate/lending, treasury services, private banking and community banking, Ms. Haack has spent over half of her banking career in the local Athens-Clarke County market. A graduate of Miami University, she is active in the local community, serving as Treasurer of St. Joseph Catholic School PTO and Sorority Advisor for Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Chris Gilmer joins the bank as Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of the new office on Trinity Place. With over 24 years in banking in the local Athens-Clarke County and Barrow County markets, Ms. Gilmer has experience in all areas of banking including branch management, bank operations and retail lending. A graduate of Gainesville College, she attended the University of Georgia and Johnson College in Tennessee, and she remains active in the community, working with United Way and First Baptist Church in Winder.
"We have recruited a strong group of local bankers who know and understand the pulse of this market and the banking needs of the businesses and individuals who call this area home," Scott Wayne commented. "We look forward to serving the financial needs of the community and becoming an active corporate citizen, involved in shaping the future of the Athens-Clarke and Oconee County areas."
Bank of Athens is a division of Gainesville Bank & Trust, the lead bank in the $1 billion community bank holding company, GB&T Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq:GBTB). GB&T Bancshares has a network of five community banks with 21 full-service banking offices that serve high-growth Georgia markets surrounding the Atlanta metropolitan area. GB&T Bancshares also owns a consumer finance company, Community Loan Company, with eight offices located in Northern Georgia.
Forward Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the projected growth in the counties in which we operate, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. In addition, when we use words like "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "could", "should", "will", and similar expressions, you should consider them as identifying forward-looking statements, although we may use other phrasing. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on our beliefs and assumptions, and on the information available to us at the time that these disclosures were prepared. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following possibilities: (1) we may be unable to obtain required shareholder or regulatory approval, (2) competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions may increase significantly; (3) changes in the interest rate environment may reduce margins; (4) general economic conditions may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and/or a reduction in demand for credit; (5) economic, governmental or other factors may prevent the projected population and commercial growth in the counties in which we operate; (6) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards, may adversely affect the businesses in which we are engaged; (7) costs or difficulties related to the integration of our businesses may be greater than expected; (8) deposit attrition, customer loss or revenue loss following the acquisition may be greater than expected; (9) competitors may have greater financial resources and develop products that enable such competitors to compete more successfully than us; and (10) adverse changes may occur in the equity markets. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict, and readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.