SunTrust Bank opens new lobby at downtown office

Nov 08, 2009 (Chattanooga Times Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- STI | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- SunTrust Bank President Sue Culpepper recently saw a photo of a bank lobby from the 1950s showing long lines of people crowding into the branch.

With all the access bank customers have these days, from 24-hour online banking to ATMs, those kinds of scenes rarely happen today, so banks are changing.

To celebrate the 41st anniversary of its downtown Chattanooga headquarters, SunTrust Bank recently recently completed renovations to its lobby, giving it a more modern feel, Mrs. Culpepper said.

"We are changing with the way people have changed their banking habits," she said.

The renovations were completed in October and took about 10 weeks to finish. The bank is on pace to renovate one bank branch each year, said Mike Butler, regional president of SunTrust Bank. The large cavernous branch inside the bank's city headquarters was long overdue for a renovation.

The current building had space for 12 tellers, which is much more than was necessary for the level of activity going on inside the bank these days, he said.

"We want to make sure we are delivering an environment that our clients appreciate, that is still very fast easy and simple to use, and is updated with how people use the bank," Mr. Butler said.

The total cost of the renovation was not available, but Mr. Butler said it was a significant investment for the bank.

Part of the update included removing old, outdated furniture and decor, much of which was donated to area organizations including the Chattanooga African-American Museum.

Workers also brought in a new teller line, with space for four tellers instead of 12. Bright colors were used to give the space a more modern look.

"We think it is a much more appealing place for clients to do business," he said.

The 41-year old branch still has the tall ceilings and other touches that remind customers of the bank's history, but the bank is changing with the rest of the buildings in the area.

Scott Hibberts, manager of the branch, said there is so much going on in the city's business district, so the timing couldn't have been better.

"There's so many neat things going on in this district and we want to be a part of it," Mr. Hibberts said.

The building was originally built in 1968 by the Probasco family to house then-American National Bank.

"The Probasco family built this bank to last, according to a book that was written about the bank, and that's what we're continuing," Mr. Butler said.

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