Unico Bank opens in Lake City

Unico Bank opened its doors in Lake City Wednesday, March 9, at 300 Cobean Blvd. The bank is temporarily located inside the old city hall which now houses the Lake City Museum.

Lake City Mayor Jon Milligan said the museum board did not hesitate to move out of the rooms needed to make a temporary home for Unico Bank. The museum will be shut down for 90 days.

The facility has two offices, a teller station and is equipped with a drive through window.

When the announcement was made that Iberia Bank located in Lake City would be closing, Mayor Milligan went to work to find a banking facility interested in locating in town.

"We have a lot of senior citizens in the area and it would be difficult for them to go out of town to do their banking," Mayor Milligan said. "We also have our businesses and other offices that need to make daily transactions."

Unico in Lake City is equipped to set up new accounts, offer loans, and meet the needs of their customers. There will be four to five staff members, including a loan officer, at the Lake City location.

Jonathan Mays, president, said they are looking forward to serving the community and working with the citizens. He said they enjoy being part of small communities.

Unico Bank has 11 locations and most are in smaller, rural farming communities.

"Citizens came in throughout the morning on our first day in Lake City," Mays said. "Lake City is a good community, with good leaders, and a good school system. It is near factories. I see great things for the future of Lake City and we want to be a part of it. Lake City is going to grow."

The Lake City branch is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday. The telephone number is (870) 616-0320.

"I want to thank Unico Bank Board members, Jonathan Mays, and the late Bentley Leon Brinkley, (Mr. Brinkley passed away Feb. 27) for their aggressiveness to locate in Lake City," Mayor Milligan said. "I also want to thank City Clerk Linda Simpson for all her work, Brenda Hutchinson and the museum board for allowing the bank to use the museum as a temporary location. I want to thank the good Lord for blessing us in our search for a good bank."

Mayor Milligan said the bank has already shown interest in the community and the school. Even before they opened, the bank provided a meal for the girls basketball team before they went to the state tournament.

"I think the citizens of Lake City and the surrounding area will find Unico Bank a blessing to our town," Mayor Milligan said.