Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.4

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Active in the Community
South Atlantic Bank
Ask the Experts
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Founded in Myrtle Beach nine
years ago by a group of local businessmen
who realized the need for a strong
community bank among a sea of regional
and super-regional banks, South Atlantic
Bank now has a total of six offices along the South
Carolina coast. The experienced
team at the Mount Pleasant
location has been helping customers in the Lowcountry
since 2013.
“Our strength is
banking with individuals
in the community, as
well as small-to medium-
sized businesses,” said
Ken Pickens, senior
vice president of South
Atlantic Bank’s Mount
Pleasant branch. “Our
decisions are made locally
in the community by
local lenders working
with local customers.
Funds deposited here are
invested locally and lent
out in our footprint. It’s
good for the local and coastal economies.”
South Atlantic is a full-service commercial bank that
offers everything provided by any megabank: mortgage
and consumer lending, home equity lines, deposits,
business and personal checking, CDs, IRAs, online and
mobile banking and more. South Atlantic sets itself apart
with unparalleled personalized service.
“We have technology similar to a much bigger bank:
mobile and Internet banking, mobile deposits, every bell
and whistle that you could get elsewhere,” Pickens said.
“And we encourage people to come to the bank and see
us if they prefer. Our level of personal service and warmth
is hard to find outside of a community bank, and we take
that to heart. We get to know our customers and build
relationships with them. That’s what’s important to us.”
As part of its commitment to its customers, South
Atlantic Bank makes a point to be active in the community.
“It’s important for us to be involved in community
events,” said Pickens. “It could be a gala to support the
Humane Society or the Florence Crittenton Home or a
5K race. You’ll find a South Atlantic banker there. We also
actively support The Citadel and Charleston Southern
University.”
South Atlantic Bank’s Mount Pleasant branch is located
in the Queensborough Shopping Center while a new,
permanent location is being built nearby on Johnnie
Dodds Boulevard.
The 8,000 square-foot
facility is expected to be
completed in mid-2017.
“It’s not your
average bank,” Pickens
explained. “The new
building will be a very
nice facility that’s warm
and inviting. While
you can bank online,
we want our customers
to feel welcome when
they come inside, to feel
comfortable that they
can come in and meet
with us personally so we
can help meet their needs.”
In every way, South Atlantic Bank strives to be the ideal
bank for the Mount Pleasant community.
“Banking, in my opinion, is about customer service,”
Pickens said. “There’s a lot of back-office work that the
public doesn’t see, but, in order to be successful, you have
to treat your customers right, be polite and be professional.
That’s what we do with our team here in Mount Pleasant.”
Joining Pickens in the office are two additional commercial
lenders, Brian Michel and Kurt Seguer, and a mortgage banker,
Peter Insabella. Christy Chumney serves as the loan assistant,
while Cari Henderson manages the branch, with assistance
from Jessica Clendenin. Together, they have more than 75 years
of banking experience in the Lowcountry.
To learn more, visit or call
843-972-4300.
By Anne TOOLe
Artwork courtesy of South Atlantic Bank.A rendering of what the completed South Atlantic Bank campus will look like
in Mount Pleasant.
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