Submitted photo Freedom Bank President and CEO Ryan Curry, center, stands with Branch Manager Larissa Righman, right, and Elkins Rotary Club President Phillips Kolsun.

Freedom Bank President and CEO Ryan Curry, along with Elkins Branch Manager Larissa Righman, addressed the Rotary Club of Elkins, giving the group an overview of the recent merger between Freedom Bank and BCBank.

Freedom Bank (Belington Bank) was founded in 1939 and originally served Barbour County before expanding its service to surrounding counties. BCBank was incorporated in September 1969 in Philippi and served Barbour County until expanding its services. The two banks’ holding companies completed an all-stock merger in 2024 and just recently completed the process of integrating the two banks’ systems. “We were glad to get everything finalized and this month we’re going through the processes and ironing out a few wrinkles, which is bound to happen when you merge two organizations,” said Curry.

Both banks had a strong community focus and, according to Curry, the resulting organization will continue in that vein. “We’re hoping to do more. Unfortunately, at the branch level sometimes there are only four or five staff making it hard to get out during banking hours to participate in some activities,” added Righman. “We’re usually able to honor donation requests.”

There was a rather rigorous approval process for the merger, both on the federal and state level. Approvals were needed from the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions and the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). “The SEC approval held some things up initially which caused a significant delay in the approval process,” added Curry.

The bank now has a total of nine branches located in Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Randolph and Upshur counties. “In the merger, there was no job loss. That was one of our key points in completing the merger,” commented Curry. When choosing a name for the merged institution, it was felt that Freedom Bank was a more marketable name. Curry noted that Freedom Bank is a state-chartered bank regulated by the FDIC.

Prior to the merger, BCBank’s primary focus was on commercial real estate lending while Freedom Bank was more heavily involved in the home mortgage market. “When we bring those two banks together, we fell that we encompass the whole market, the gamut of commercial lending, mortgage lending and core deposits in the community,” said Curry. “We look forward to being a team player here in Randolph County.”

In the immediate future, processes will be evaluated and finalized to ensure that bank employees are familiar with their possibly amended job duties. “We want to make sure our employees are comfortable in their positions and what they expect going forward,” concluded Curry.

More information about Freedom Bank and its various services offered can be found at www.freedombankwv.com or by calling any Freedom Bank location.

Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club’s Facebook page — Rotary Club of Elkins — or contact club president Phillips Kolsun at phillipskolsun@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.