Carson City bank deposits rise by nearly $135 million

Carson City banks, like their Reno/Sparks counterparts, saw a healthy increase in dollar deposits from 2003 to 2004, of $134 million, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's newly released 2004 Market Share Report .

Carson City is "growing very rapidly," says Heritage Bank president and chief executive officer, Stan Wilmoth.

Heritage, which opened its Carson City branch in 2001, is very excited about the area, he adds.

The bank's Carson City branch is reaching out to developers in nearby communities, such as Mound House and Dayton and finding a mix of consumer and developer/ commercial business in those areas, as well as in the city - enough to take 2.36 percent market share in the area.

First National Bank of Nevada, meanwhile, saw a dollar gain of almost $10.5 million from June 2003 to June 2004, and a market share that rose from 6.48 percent to 6.66 percent.

The big banks held onto the top spots in Carson City, locking up the top four, and led by Wells Fargo wolfing down a fifth of the area's banking pie - followed by the Bank of America with 12 percent, Citibank West with more than 10 percent, and US Bank with almost 9 percent.

All four big banks, though gaining in dollar deposits, lost a bit of market share.

"That indicates that people want to talk to a teller without being charged; they don't want to get an 800 number," says Wilmoth.

That's the edge that's moving market share onto the community bank side, according to Wilmoth - local control.