By KRISTIN NEMETH / Community Columnist

During the Wilsonville Town Council meeting on June 2, Stephen Smith, president and CEO of SouthPoint Bank spoke to the council and citizens of Wilsonville.

“We’re excited about coming to Wilsonville. Our bank is a community bank. We have a lot of interest in small towns like Wilsonville. We believe we’re good for the community and you all are good for us ” Smith stated.

SouthPoint bank has three other locations: Trussville, Gardendale and the Colonnade on Highway 280.  The bank is based only in Alabama, in Jefferson and Shelby counties.

“We are a $200 million bank with 310 shareholders, myself being the largest shareholder. So we have a lot of interest in our customers. To put it in perspective, other banks in Birmingham are approximately one to two trillion dollar banks. So, with SouthPoint being much smaller, we feel we can offer a lot more personal service.”

The proposed site of the bank will be on Main Street, in the brick strip between Sammy’s Antiques and Wilsonville Baptist Church. It is the former site of F&M and Renaissant Bank.

“The building is set up and ready to go. I can’t give a timeline for when it will be open. We are waiting on FDIC approval. Once we receive that approval, our biggest hold up could be the T-1 installation from AT&T. We will begin flooring and equipment installation once the approval from FDIC is in place. It could be 30 or 60 days, maybe longer.  We are eager to be here and the council will be the first to know when that approval is in place,” Smith said.

“This is exciting for us,” Becky Knowles, chief retail operating officer, said “We are looking forward to working with area businesses and citizens.”

Asked by attending citizens at the meeting what the hours would be, she replied “How does 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. work for you? We will make the hours now! We are here to serve the citizens in what is convenient for you.”

The bank will have ATM withdrawal capabilities, a safe deposit and a rewards checking option.

Mayor Lee McCarty and the council members in attendance welcomed SouthPoint bank and gave praises and aspirations for their business in Wilsonville.