Canandaigua National Bank & Trust plans Syracuse branches

CANANDAIGUA — Canandaigua National Bank & Trust says its plans for 2025 include opening multiple branches in the Syracuse market. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust will announce individual locations in the Syracuse area as details are finalized, but the expectation is to add multiple branches over the next one to three years, with at least one office anticipated to open next year. As branches draw nearer to opening, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust says it will begin hiring to staff those locations and to support other services and banking operations, according to the bank’s Sept. 30 announcement. Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County located at the northern end of Canandaigua Lake. Along with retail-banking services, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust will offer financial services that include business banking, commercial lending, mortgage lending and loan origination, wealth-management services, estate and trust services, and insurance.

Frank Hamlin III, the bank’s president and CEO, views this announcement as the “next exciting evolution for an organization that has made consistent and considerable growth throughout its history.” “This decision is the result of extensive research and thoughtful consideration by our leadership team,” Hamlin said in the bank’s announcement. “It reflects the strength of our bank as a business, along with the steadfast work and commitments in the Syracuse area that are yielding promising growth from the designated national tech-hub corridor that will connect Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo to the development of job training skills and housing.” Canandaigua National Bank & Trust has “expanded its footprint substantially” in the past 35 years. In 1989, the bank opened its first branch in Monroe County, eventually adding 15 branches there by 2020. The Brockport branch (its location farthest to the west) was opened in 2020, followed by one in Geneva — its farthest location to the east — in 2021. The bank says it has been providing commercial loans to a growing list of customers in the Syracuse area in recent years, laying the groundwork for the eventual brick-and-mortar presence.

Gwen Crawford, chief retail banking officer, believes that Canandaigua National Bank & Trust’s culture will “translate seamlessly” to the communities in and around the new branch locations. “We are immensely proud that as we continue to grow, we remain an employer of choice — consistently rated as one of the top workplaces in the region,” Crawford contended. “This company is rooted in the belief that exceptional customer service is only possible by listening to and valuing our employees, first and foremost.” Founded in 1887, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust has 25 branches in Ontario and Monroe counties, as well as financial-services offices located in Canandaigua, Bushnell’s Basin, downtown Rochester, and downtown Sarasota, Florida.