Investar working on Morgan City location

Tri-City area residents and businesses soon will have another option for banking with Morgan City connections as Investar Bank is planting its footprint in Morgan City.
The bank currently is building an Interactive Teller Machine on property at Victor II Boulevard and Clothilde Street.
“Investar’s strategy for entering a new market is a phased-in approach,” President and CEO John D’Angelo said. “We first place one of our full-service Interactive Teller Machines that allows anyone to access one of our bankers face-to-face. In fact, it provides the same interaction that you would have in a drive-up lane at any other bank in Morgan City or elsewhere. The ITM can handle deposit transactions, including cashing a check down to the penny.”
Phase two will feature the construction of a branch.
The ITM project, which is being completed by Acadiane’ Renovations Ltd. of Franklin, is anticipated to be complete in June and open to the public soon after, D’Angelo said.
Once a branch is constructed, it will employ about six people, including a city president, D’Angelo said.
“Since we started the bank, we have aspired to bring our brand of banking to the Morgan City market,” D’Angelo said. “Residents of Morgan City purchased a significant amount of Investar Bank stock when we started the bank in 2006. I believe they are ready for Investar to have a presence in Morgan City.”
D’Angelo said he has been linked to Morgan City for more than 30 years. The company also has employees with Morgan City connections. Jeff Blum, the company’s western region and Commercial and Industrial Division president, is a Morgan City native, while the company’s Central Region President overseeing greater Baton Rouge, Holly Hidalgo-DeKeyzer, is a former Morgan City resident.
“Lastly, our Chairman of the Board, Bill Hidalgo, currently resides in Morgan City,” D’Angelo said. “I am just sorry it took us so long to step into the market. However, you will soon know we have arrived!”
Investar Bank’s headquarters are in Baton Rouge, and it has locations throughout south Louisiana from the Baton Rouge region on west to the Lake Charles area. It also has five locations in Texas and three more in western Alabama.