Pub. 4 2016 Issue 3

8 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org Featured Member Bank F or nearly a century, Opportunity Bank of Montana has been part of Montana’s unique history. Founded as American Building and Loan Association, Opportunity Bank started our humble beginnings within Helena’s Last Chance Gulch area in 1922. The Bank’s name changed in 1991, becoming American Fed- eral Savings Bank. American Federal became publically traded in 2000 [EBMT], and by 2002, the Bank grew to 72 employees with an asset value of $185 million. In 2012, American Federal more than doubled in size with its acquisition of all Sterling Bank locations in Montana. Asset size increased to over $500 million, making American Federal one of the largest Montana-based retail banks in the state. In 2014, the Bank applied to the state of Montana to change our charter from a federal savings and loan to a state-chartered commercial bank. Along with this change also came an exciting new name – Opportunity Bank of Montana. Today, Opportunity Bank boasts an asset size of $625 million, employs nearly 200 people in 13 full-service branches across Montana, including Helena, Big Timber, Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Hamilton, Livingston, Missoula, and Townsend. The Bank also has home lending offices and financial planning locations, along with a Commercial Loan office in Great Falls. Opportunity Bank’s new brand is an expression of the compa- ny’s sense of community, loyalty, partnership and location. There is a strong focus on local investment, accessibility, and service. The brand reinforces our state-wide place identity showcasing a variety of Montana landscape photography. Our logo is a symbol that represents Montana’s sky, mountains, and rivers. Our mission is to “Provide Strong Financial Futures for Montanans.” Recently, our Marketing team executed a campaign on Facebook with the goal of acquiring local Montana landscape photography to utilize in our advertising. Late September, we announced the twelve winners judged on their originality, cre- ativity, and photo quality. The social media campaign reached nearly 1,300 Montanans. The Marketing Department received 41 photographer entries, with over 250 photos for consideration. Marketing intends to use the twelve winning photos in their 2017 customer calendar and within all areas of marketing, adver- tising, and branding. Marketing Officer, Ali Mandell, states “the campaign was incredibly successful. Montanans are proud of the state in which we live with all its natural beauty and diverse land- scape. We hope our customers and residents embrace this brand as much as we have internally. It certainly speaks to our compa- ny’s heritage, personality, and brand promise to our customers. We’re Your Local Bank and Your Opportunity.” Today, our customers remain the driving force behind our success and the Bank's nearly century-long commitment to them has earned us a reputation as a leader in community banking. We are proud of our Montana roots and honored to be a state-wide partner. OPPORTUNITY BANK OF MONTANA—A UNIQUE STORY AND BRAND