BLUEFIELD, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2003--First Community
Bank, N. A. officials recently announced plans to open two new
full-service banking facilities in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The
bank, based in Bluefield, Virginia, operates 41 full-service banking
locations in the three-state region of Virginia, West Virginia and
North Carolina and plans to open the branches in mid-June.
First Community Bank is a community bank offering traditional
banking services as well as trust and investment services through the
Trust and Financial Services division and wealth management services
thru its subsidiary, Stone Capital Management. The bank operates a
wholly owned subsidiary, United First Mortgage, Inc., headquartered in
Richmond, VA with 11 offices throughout Virginia. Recently, First
Community announced the intent to acquire CommonWealth Bank also in
Richmond adding 4 retail banking offices in Eastern Virginia.
John M. Mendez, President, First Community Bancshares, Inc., said,
"Our company already has a presence in North Carolina with our
existing branches and a number of strong commercial account
relationships. The addition of the branches in Winston-Salem will
allow us to provide better service to our existing customers and is a
significant element of our company's strategic plan to add metro
markets to the company's operations."
According to Mendez, the new branches will be located at 5610
University Parkway and 3001 Waughtown Street. The new branches will be
full-service financial centers, with convenient banking hours offering
loans, deposits, trust and brokerage services, insurance services,
internet banking centers, safe deposit boxes, drive-thru service and
ATMs.
Mendez said, "Currently plans are being finalized for the new
locations. We are certain that First Community will carve out a
variable niche in the competitive banking market in Winston-Salem."
First Community Bank, N. A. is operated by its parent company,
First Community Bancshares, Inc., a $1.5 billion bank holding company
in the three-state region of Virginia, West Virginia and North
Carolina. First Community Bank, N. A. presently has 41 full-service
branch offices, 2 trust and investment management offices, and 11
mortgage banking offices, which operate as United First Mortgage,
Inc., headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, as well as Stone Capital
Management, Inc., an investment advisory firm based in West Virginia.
First Community Bancshares, Inc.'s common stock is traded on the
NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "FCBC."
DISCLAIMER
This news release may include forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that
involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially.
These risks include: the timely development, production and acceptance
of new products and services and their feature sets; the challenge of
managing asset/liability levels; the management of credit risk and
interest rate risk; the difficulty of keeping expense growth at modest
levels while increasing revenues; and other risks detailed from time
to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports,
including but not limited to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
most recent year ended.
CONTACT: First Community Bank, N. A., Bluefield
Robert L. Schumacher, 276/326-9000
SOURCE: First Community Bank, N. A.