Greetings, and welcome to CharterWest.com, the face of CharterWest National Bank! 

This is my first President’s Message.  I have assumed the reins from Stephen Bell, who I have had the honor of working with since the inception of CharterWest, back in 1985.  Steve entered retirement recently, but we’re pleased that he’s still working part time on special projects for us.  I’ve been second in command of the bank for twenty-four years, and I’m excited that my time has come to lead us into the next phase of our history. 

When Steve and I and several others opened our doors in 1985, we set out to make CharterWest a different kind of bank, one where “putting customers first” was much more than just a slogan.  Our ownership base was a group of non-bankers who believed that a community bank’s first obligation was to its customers and its community.  It is my mission to make sure that we never vary from that core belief. 

We have banks in West Point, Elkhorn, Pender and Walthill. We’re proud of our continuity of management and personnel, and our customers appreciate the ability to build long-term relationships with our people. We’re big enough to handle your business, but still operate like a small-town institution, where our customers are individuals, not numbers. Our Mortgage Center has offices across Nebraska, and we have a staff of full-time, talented professionals to help our customers achieve their dreams of home ownership. 

Recent news reports about bank failures and government bailouts are painting a poor picture of our industry.  Fortunately, community banks like ours are somewhat insulated from the problems making the news.  However, as the economy slows, our customers are impacted in many ways.  We recognize that this is a time when we earn our customers’ loyalty.  We are striving to be a dependable source of banking services in good times and bad.  We pride ourselves in having a stable, positive-minded staff of professionals who can truly partner with our clients to survive the tough times, as well as prosper during the good ones. 

I welcome Steve Davis as our new Branch President in Elkhorn.  He joins Derwin Roberts in Pender and Mic Daehnke in Walthill, leading our teams of hard-working professionals, proud to represent our bank in our communities.  Please accept my invitation to visit us at any CharterWest location. We want to show you the CharterWest difference!

Kevin Larson, President