Robberies shut down rural Americana branches

Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 22, 2001

Bank robberies at its branches in Conger and Hayward have prompted Americana National Bank to close the two banks.

Saturday, December 22, 2001

Bank robberies at its branches in Conger and Hayward have prompted Americana National Bank to close the two banks. The last day of business in both locations will be March 29.

Email newsletter signup

According to Jim Siegel, Bank President, the decision is connected to the Nov. 30 bank robbery in Conger and the robbery at the Hayward branch on Sept. 11, 2000. A major concern leading to the decision is safety and security for employees and customers, he said.

&uot;Employees don’t want to work alone, and putting more full-time staff into each location doesn’t make sense financially,&uot; said Siegel.

Bank employees working at both branches on Friday had no comment, when contacted for more information.

The two bank robberies follow a national trend of more incidents at small, rural bank branches, especially those with only one employee in the building, Siegel said.

The suspect in the Hayward robbery, Walter Kangas of New Brighton, was shot and killed by police in Farmington the day of the robbery. The armed man who robbed the Conger bank Nov. 30 remains at large.

Whatever the reasons given, the decision to close the branches is not good news for the communities involved.

&uot;I did make an attempt to meet with as many community and local business people as I could, before we made the decision public,&uot; said Siegel.

In Conger, Dave Larson, owner of the Conger Meat Market, is one business owner who is upset with the decision.

&uot;I’m kind of disappointed in the decision. Another small town has to lose something – looks like a small town just got a lot smaller,&uot; said Larson.

Life in Hayward also will be affected, both for residents and other businesses.

&uot;For us it will be an inconvenience. We’ll just have to drive in to Albert Lea to make deposits now,&uot; said Wayne Kromminga, manager of the Hayward Cooperative.

More of the closing’s impact will probably be felt at Nick’s Meat and Grocery, which is one of several small businesses in Hayward that provide residents with a one-stop shopping experience.

&uot;We see a lot of customers who run to the bank to cash a check and then pop in for milk and bread,&uot; said Kellie Anderson, an employee at the grocery store. Employees at the store will also need to come up with new ways to get change for the cash registers.

&uot;Losing a business that’s been in the community for a long time will hurt the most, I think,&uot; said Anderson.

Until the banks close, lobby hours in both locations will be reduced as of Jan. 2. The bank in Conger will now only be open from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., Monday through Friday. Hayward lobby hours will be from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Americana recently changed its lobby hours in Albert Lea, also. The lobby at the main branch is no longer open on Saturday mornings, although the drive through will still be open from 8:30 to noon.

A notice about the changes has been posted in all bank locations and a letter will be sent out within the next couple of days to customers the bank thinks are primarily affected by the decision.

The Albert Lea-based bank’s only other satellite branch, in Alden, will remain open, and bank officials expect business at that location may increase. Staffing at the Alden branch will remain at two full-time positions, with the possibility of more staff being assigned there if the situation merits it, Siegel said.