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Photo by Bob Pennell Ken Apland works on the columns that will frame the drive-up window at Douglas National Bank's Medford branch. Bank sees golden opportunity By DAVID PRESZLER Another regional bank has made its way into the Rogue Valley. Douglas National Bank, which has seven branches in Douglas County, will open its doors early next month at the Crater Lake Plaza shopping center in Medford, near Costco. The 3,800-square-foot branch -- the bank's largest to date and first outside of Douglas County -- will include both a traditional bank and a mortgage loan center, DNB Mortgage. March 8 is the projected opening date. President Neil Zick says his bank was looking to expand and thought Medford was a prime place to do it. "Our bank is in a position where we would like to be a larger financial institution and Douglas County growth is slow to moderate," Zick says. "With the growth that is going on in Medford, it was a very viable place." The Crater Lake Plaza branch may be Douglas National's first in Jackson County but it isn't likely to be the last. "Our hope is that we will have other branches in that general area," says Zick. "We think there's just a tremendous amount of opportunity down there." Zick says the bank looked at other possible locations, including Ashland and Grants Pass, before settling on Medford. Jim Servoos has been named manager of the bank's southern region, which consists only of the Medford branch for now. Eight or nine people will staff the branch when it opens. Douglas National Bank was founded in 1959 as First National Bank of Roseburg and picked up the Douglas National name a few years later. The independent bank has about $115 million in total assets, $80 million in deposits and $44 million in loans. It serves about 8,000 customers. The bank is owned by about 250 shareholders, primarily Douglas County residents, under a holding company called United Bancorp. Its stock was selling for 8 per share on Monday. Douglas National joins a host of independent financial institutions doing business in the Rogue Valley. Bank of Southern Oregon, Rogue Federal Credit Union and People's Bank of Commerce are all Medford-based, while Rogue River-based Valley of the Rogue Bank, Klamath First Federal of Klamath Falls and Grants Pass-based Evergreen Federal also have strong presences here. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA