Bank of the West Branch Opens in Redwood City

Bank of the West has announced that it will open a new branch in Redwood City on October 7. The branch will be located at 900 Veterans Blvd. on the corner of Veterans and Jefferson Avenue.

“Technology has played a significant role in shaping the banking industry’s products and services,” said Ed Bonavia, senior regional manager at Bank of the West. 

“The changes we’ve integrated into this new branch will be exciting for our Redwood City customers,” Bonavia added.

According to a Bank of the West spokesperson, the branch will combine the traditional appearance of a brick-and-mortar facility with contemporary banking features such as iPads and a quick response (QR) bar, where customers can conduct some self-service transactions and also learn about products and services.

“Instead of a wall of tellers, customers will see open conference spaces, a reflection of how the industry is changing,” Bonavia said. 

“Today, the dual nature of financial services is balancing the role of technology – such as the rising use of online and smartphone banking – with personal interaction. Though our Bank has found new ways to bring technology into this location, our business is very relationship-driven and our focus is still on personalized attention.”

The new Redwood City branch manager will be Timothy Hess.

Hess said he agrees with the bank's balance of technology and good-old-fashioned face-to-face interaction. 

“Even in tech-savvy San Mateo County, about 80 percent of our new customers meet face-to-face with their bankers to open accounts or to discuss home mortgages, small business needs or personal wealth management. What remains constant is our expertise across all areas of banking and our commitment to providing the best solutions and services for our customers,” said Hess.

Hess joined Bank of the West in 2013 to manage the Redwood City branch. He has 12 years of retail banking experience in the Bay Area. In his role as vice president and branch manager, Hess will be responsible for the overall operations and administration of the branch.

The branch is one of four new Bay Area locations for San Francisco-based Bank of the West. New branches recently opened in Mill Valley, San Francisco’s Castro district, and in San Francisco’s TransBay neighborhood. There are 244 Bank of the West locations in California.