Franklin Savings Bank
Franklin Savings Offers Personal Service, Community Focus| February 2019
By Maria Landry
“The best thing about Franklin Savings is our communities and our ability to work with our community members,” says Patrick Dore, vice president and Skowhegan branch manager, from his office overlooking Madison Avenue.
“Not every loan, not every business need, not every personal need is ever the same,” he noted. “We have the ability to tailor-make our services to best suit the needs of our customers. We like to work with them to ensure that whatever we go with for a mortgage or a loan product fits their long-term goals. It’s more personal… you’re not just a number.”
Headquartered in Farmington, Franklin Savings Bank (FSB) primarily serves Franklin, Somerset, Oxford, and Hancock counties.
“That’s our primary area where we focus on our giving—we help the boosters, the schools, the service organizations,” Dore said, but he noted that they also lend throughout the state.
“We have construction projects going in Portland, North Yarmouth, Windham. Our business office out of Ellsworth does a lot of fishing vessels up and down the entire coast. We cover pretty much all of Maine.”
One of the bank’s branches is located at Farmington’s Mt. Blue High School, where FSB has a banking program for students.
“Then we have an internship program, so a lot of the kids who go to Mt. Blue and then go off to college, come back and work as seasonal tellers and stay with the bank,” Dore said. “We have four employees who have been here since high school. There’s a lot of depth and knowledge of Franklin Savings Bank.”
Last year FSB celebrated its 150th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the Franklin Savings Bank Community Development Foundation donated an additional $150,000 to nonprofits throughout the four counties it primarily serves, on top of its normal giving.
“Every year we’re still donating about $170,000 through the foundation,” Dore said.
Currently FSB is working with Maine College Circle to give scholarships to participating students in grades three through six.
“The kids write an essay about what they want to be when they grow up and what college or trade school they would go to or whatever post-high school they would need,” Dore explained.
He is on the committee that will read the essays and select the winners.
“Last year I think there were 25 kids who completed and showed effort and actually won the scholarships,” he said. “Once they’re chosen, then there’s a final night for kids to present their essays of what they want to be when they grow up and kind of play the part. That’s a fun thing. Then they’re presented with the scholarships.”
Dore commented that volunteerism is a big part of the bank’s culture.
“Everybody’s pretty involved with their community,” he said. “Throughout the bank and all the branches, nearly 3,300 hours were volunteered in 2018. We’re very community-oriented, employee-oriented.”
That community focus means that many customers still choose to drop in at their local FSB branch to do their banking in person.
“People come in even when they don’t have to,” Dore said. “You could take a picture of your check and do a mobile deposit, or you could come in and make a deposit and say hi. We still have a large number of people coming in to do their banking once a week, twice a month, just because of the person-to-person relationships that are developed.”
Franklin Savings Bank’s Skowhegan branch is located at 194 Madison Avenue. Visit the FSB website to learn more.
