Business View Magazine | October 2020

119 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020 BRANNEN BANK million in mortgages last year, about $60 million here in Citrus County. So, we’re putting this money to work in our county, which differentiates us from some of the larger banks. We’re the epitome of a true hometown community bank. We take care of our customers, and we take care of our employees – they’re part of the Brannen Bank family. That’s our culture, and we’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to do that for 94 years. We’ve got a special thing here, and we’ve been so blessed. When we hit 100, that will be a year-long celebration!” Matt Brannen: “It’s important for people to understand who we are and what we do. Yes, our history, but also what we’re doing today and what sets us apart from just about every other bank in our area. One hundred percent of our efforts are right here, locally. We are in a three–county area, so we focus on the people we live here with, that we go to church with, go to school with, play sports with. Everybody knows us, and we know them. People moving competent and energetic than we’ve ever had in the past. We’ve built ourselves to move forward as technology changes, and we’ve always operated in a lean, efficient manner. Dad always said, ‘You never go broke making a profit, and you have to learn how to control your expenses.’ We’ve always been good at that.” BVM: What are the most important points people should know about Brannen Bank? Fitzpatrick: “For me, it’s the flexibility. The ability of the bank to pivot on a dime is truly unique. When there is an opportunity that benefits either our customer base or the bank, we can make those decisions at a moment’s notice. Especially this year, that separates us from the competition because we can get things done for our customers in a much more expedient process.” Joseph: “We want to continue to serve our community as we always have. We did $85