Liberty Bank team members in Western Massachusetts held a ribbon cutting and gave grants to organizations for the opening of its new retail branch in East Longmeadow. Photo courtesy of Liberty Bank

After opening a loan office in downtown Springfield in October, Connecticut-based Liberty Bank officially opened its first bank branch in Massachusetts following successful expansion of its business lending in the Pioneer Valley this year.

The retail branch is at 94 Shaker Road in East Longmeadow, which was first opened as a commercial loan office in 2021. The full-service branch is close to 3,000 square feet in area and includes a drive-up banking lane, ATM and night drop.

Minnie Saleh, Liberty Bank senior executive vice president and chief retail banking officer, said the bank will continue to evaluate opportunities for branches in Massachusetts based on growth and the resulting needs in the Western Massachusetts area.

“Western Massachusetts is a natural extension of Liberty’s footprint. Though we entered the market via a commercial strategy, our commitment is to serve the needs of the community – both retail and commercial customers,” Saleh said in an email. “Our new East Longmeadow Branch provides our existing customers with a local branch presence and the community with another banking option. We intend to grow this office. Our branch teammates, all of whom are local to the area, including Teresa Parker, the Branch Manager, are ready and eager to welcome new and existing customers.”

To celebrate the ribbon-cutting, the bank made two grants worth $10,000 in total to the East Longmeadow Food Pantry and Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity.

“Due to our rapid pace of growth in securing lending and deposit customers in this part of the state, we identified the need and made it a top priority to open a branch to better support our customers and communities, expand our branch network, and drive future growth in Massachusetts,” David W. Glidden, Liberty’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “So we went out and hired some of the best of the best in community banking from Western Mass who embrace our mission in the work they do every day: to improve the lives of our customers, teammates, and communities for generations to come.”