WILMINGTON, N.C., Nov. 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Select Bank & Trust has opened a new facility to serve New Hanover and Brunswick counties, located at 1001 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 100, in the Mayfaire commercial district of Wilmington, and plans to celebrate with a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday, November 16th, announced William L. Hedgepeth II, president and CEO of Select.

The grand opening celebration will be held at 4 p.m. in conjunction with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. There will be refreshments and giveaways.

“We are delighted about this new banking office in Wilmington,” Mr. Hedgepeth said. “This is an ideal location for our customers and this new branch opening is part of our continued commitment and approach to providing outstanding service and convenience in a way that fits in with the lifestyles of our customers. We want to be accessible. We have a staff with experienced bankers ready to serve.”

The full-service branch will offer commercial banking services and traditional banking products and will feature drive-thru lanes as well as a full-service ATM machine, offering customers 24-hour banking.

“This branch in Wilmington branch is a significant milestone for our bank,” said W. Keith Betts, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer. “We have developed a solid customer base in Brunswick and New Hanover counties with our branch in Leland, which led us to establishing this location in Wilmington. The additional branch will provide added convenience for many of our customers, and we believe this location offers significant business opportunities.”

Betts will lead an established team of experienced bankers at the new location. He has 35 years of banking experience, 32 of which he has served in Wilmington. Betts founded Port City Bank in Wilmington in 2001 and served as President and CEO until the bank sold in 2006. “This area is home,” Betts said. “I look forward to developing and molding even more relationships throughout the region offering outstanding personalized service through a high-performing bank.”

Among the seasoned team of banking professionals are Branch Manager Kimberly Graham, Customer Service Representative Elaine Popkin, Teller Supervisor Michelle Jacobs and Teller Garrett Mayhew. Kimberly Graham has been in banking 38 years, Elaine Popkin has 28 years of banking experience and Michelle Jacobs has been a banker for 24 years.

Also serving at the Branch are Commercial Lender Brent Boswell who is active in the Wilmington community and serves as mentor with the UNC-Wilmington Cameron School of Business and Larry Brobst, Senior Vice President and Credit Administrator. Another familiar face in the Wilmington market, Gina R. DiCicco, will serve as Senior Vice President and Director of Mortgage Operations. She has been in the mortgage business for over 20 years. Chase Price, of Wilmington, serves in the branch as commercial underwriter.

On the announcement, Mr. Hedgepeth added, “We look forward to serving the people of New Hanover County. Select is intent on being the local community bank of choice in the markets we serve. We continue to selectively add to our branch network as we assess all strategies to build shareholder value. Our bank’s mission is, ‘To be the bank of choice in the communities we serve, by providing exceptional customer service, superior products and experienced bankers using a common sense approach to banking.’”

Select Bank & Trust Company has 14 branch offices located in Burlington, Clinton, Dunn, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greenville, Leland, Lillington, Lumberton, Morehead City, Raleigh, Washington and Wilmington, North Carolina. More information can be obtained by visiting Select's web site at www.SelectBank.com.  Select Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Select Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLCT), a North Carolina corporation and a bank holding company registered with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

For more information, contact:
W. Keith Betts, EVP and Chief Banking Officer
keithb@SelectBank.com
Phone 910-679-4570