Community Bank announces plans for new Onondaga County branches

Community Bank has announced plans to open three new Onondaga County branches by the end of 2025, adding to offices it already operates in DeWitt, Cicero, and Skaneateles (shown here). The bank will also expand its branch presence in several other markets it serves including Buffalo, Rochester, and the Capital District. (Adam Rombel / CNYBJ file photo)

DeWITT, N.Y. — Community Bank, N.A. will expand its branch presence in Syracuse through 2025 with the addition of a downtown Syracuse office, as well as two other new branches in the metro area, the bank announced. Coupled with its existing branches in DeWitt, Cicero, and Skaneateles, the new locations, including one in the State […]

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DeWITT, N.Y. — Community Bank, N.A. will expand its branch presence in Syracuse through 2025 with the addition of a downtown Syracuse office, as well as two other new branches in the metro area, the bank announced.

Coupled with its existing branches in DeWitt, Cicero, and Skaneateles, the new locations, including one in the State Tower building on South Warren Street, will bring the total to six branches in Onondaga County.

“Community Bank is not just expanding but deepening our roots in Syracuse,” Hal Wentworth, Community Bank’s SVP of retail banking and marketing, said in a bank press release. “Our branches are the cornerstone of our retail business, and each one allows us to support the community and deepen our relationships with our customers as we partner together throughout their financial journey.”

With the new locations, Community Bank says it is reimagining the customer in-branch experience with designs that encourage customer and banker collaboration and local community tie-ins. The branches will offer a full suite of consumer, business, and municipal-banking products and services. The offices, which represent a substantial investment, will allow Community Bank to better serve clients and aid in local economic development with the creation of new jobs, as well as contributing to community efforts and fostering financial stability, the release stated.

“We’ve served the Syracuse market through various lines of business and are happy to further support new and existing customers with additional branch services,” Community Bank President and CEO Dimitar Karaivanov said. “We are poised to execute on our growth strategy with the goal of bringing our service offerings to more communities across the Syracuse market.

Along with expansion plans in Syracuse, Community Bank also plans to grow its branch presence in the Buffalo, Rochester, and Capital regions of New York; the Lehigh Valley area in Pennsylvania; Springfield, Massachusetts; and New Hampshire.

Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU), the bank holding company of Community Bank, currently operates more than 200 branch locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. With more than $1.5 billion in assets, Community Bank System also operates OneGroup NY Inc., a risk-management, commercial insurance, employee benefits, and personal-lines insurance subsidiary; Community Bank Wealth Management, an investment-advisory and financial-planning subsidiary; and Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc., an actuarial, retirement, and VEBA/HRA-plan administration subsidiary.

Traci DeLore: