Business & Tech

Competition Not Daunting to New Bank Opening in Sayville

First National is banking on its service level to win customers.

First National Bank of Long Island hopes to have its new Sayville full-service branch location open by early Fall and is banking on exceptional customer service to be its key to success in what’s already a crowded bank marketplace.

The branch location, on Montauk Highway on the site of the former Dairy Barn, will offer financial services and products to commercial and consumer clients and boast a drive-through, according to Mark Curtis, executive VP and chief financial officer of First of Long Island Corp. First National Bank  is a subsidiary of First of Long Island Corp.

First National Bank currently has 23 full service offices, 11 commercial banking offices and two select service banking centers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and Manhattan. Its nearest location to Sayville is in Bohemia.

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Competition for bank services in the Sayville-Bayport area is fiercer than ever given the new branch opened in Sayville by TD Bank last summer, Chase on Main Street in Sayville, and new bank options in nearby Bayport, including People’s United that opened a year ago and most recently Hudson City Savings Bank. There is also Citibank and Capital One Banks in Blue Point and Sayville and Suffolk County National Bank in Sayville.

But all the competitors don’t daunt First National.

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“Our differentiator is our level of service, it’s not what customers get with other banks or money centers, such as Chase,” Curtis told Patch in a phone interview Wednesday.

“We are making an impact and attracting business because of the service we provide,” he said.

First National caters to small businesses and professional services, from dental offices to small law firms, he explained, offering a suite of products for the niche market.

“We compete effectively because we really care about our customers, we’re not a deposit center. When people come into our banks and experience what we provide they are surprised,” he said, noting that customers interact with the seven senior executive managers.

“Clients hear from us, the chief executive and senior managers. How often do you think that happens with Jim Dimon [CEO] at Chase?” asked Curtis. “We simply provide a better level of service.”


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