Longtime Hot Springs resident David Wooldridge leads a team of local banking professionals who have helped open the first Citizens Bank branch near the Hot Springs Mall and are opening a second branch on Airport Road.
"We have had a great relationship with our customers in Hot Springs for several years and now we have two new addresses -- 4429 Central Ave. and 150 Airport Road," Wooldridge said in a release. "Citizens Bank has helped build Arkansas for more than 60 years since it was founded in Batesville in 1953 to serve the financial needs of middle income families and small businesses."
"We intend to grow Citizens Bank into Hot Springs' leading community bank," said Phil Baldwin, bank president and chief executive officer. "We plan to take banking back to where it used to be before all the mergers and acquisitions. These mergers may have grown shareholder value for the major banks, but it has come at the expense of customer service."
"As Citizens Bank expands into Hot Springs, much of our focus will be on providing the level of service that our customers want and deserve," Wooldridge said. "From mortgage lending to trust services, our goal is for Citizens Bank to be the area's first choice when it comes to anyone's financial needs."
Wooldridge, who serves as Hot Springs market president for Citizens Bank, has an extensive Arkansas banking and financial background, holding executive positions with such industry leaders as Merrill Lynch and Stephens Inc. For the past six years, he worked with Southern Bancorp in the Hot Springs area.
Wooldridge is supported by a highly qualified staff of Hot Springs professionals, including Senior Vice President Brad Taylor; Vice Presidents Blake Cansler and Kristi Powal; Airport Road Retail Manager Mickey Miller;loan assistants Andrea Murry, Annette Shepherd and Lalainya Shipp; customer service representatives/ tellers Whitney Graham and Ashley Yancey; and teller Jess Milam.
Wooldridge also this month added a group of well-known Hot Springs mortgage lenders to his staff, including Peter Couch, vice president and regional mortgage lending officer; Donna Neville, secondary market underwriter; and Amber Miles, secondary market processor. "This was another important piece of the financial puzzle in our pursuit to become Hot Springs' hometown bank," Wooldridge said. "Peter and his team bring a wealth of secondary market lending experience to our operation."
A native of Magnet Cove, Wooldridge earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Henderson State University, in Arkadelphia. A lifelong resident of the Hot Springs area, he has been married for 24 years to Dawn Wooldridge, who is a speech therapist for Arkansas Therapy Group. The couple has two children, daughter Bailey and son Blake, both of whom attend Lakeside High School.
Wooldridge has served as president of the board of the Hot Springs Country Club. He and his family are members of the First United Methodist Church.
Citizens Bank works to improve the quality of life for all community residents by promoting educational opportunities, economic growth and innovative civic partnerships.
The Central Avenue location may be reached at 501-525-4073 and the Airport location at 501-627-0807.
Business on 04/20/2015