West One Bank’s two offices in Kalispell and a number of other community banks in the region operating as The Family of Banks have been rebranded as TrailWest Bank.

Other banks under the umbrella of TrailWest include Bitterroot Valley Bank, Lolo; Airway Boulevard Bank, Missoula; Clark Fork Valley Bank, Frenchtown; Two Rivers Bank, Bonner/Milltown; Mullan Trail Bank, Superior and St. Regis; and Ravalli County Bank offices in Hamilton, Corvallis and Stevensville

In order to offer customers better service and alleviate confusion, the bank decided to rebrand under a name that represents its Western values and path into the future, said Rich Zins, president and chief executive officer of TrailWest Bank.

With a new Missoula branch scheduled to open early next year, and plans to open two additional branches in Missoula in July 2016 and mid- to late-2017, the need for a name change became a priority.

“Our increasing geographic footprint and the changing marketplace are driving this change,” Zins said. “Our ownership is still the same, and customers will still see the same faces when they visit our branches.”

Zins added that many banks are consolidating and becoming bigger to streamline operations, “but in the process are losing that personal touch.

“We remain committed to maintaining our small-town approach to banking and fostering long-term relationships with our customers,” he said. “From the live person who answers the phone, to employees helping their neighbors through community service, TrailWest Bank will strive to remain true to that commitment.

TrailWest’s history dates to 1982 when Bitterroot Valley Bank began serving the Lolo area. By 2011, the bank had grown to six branches under the umbrella of the Family of Banks, including locations in Missoula, Frenchtown, Bonner, Superior and St. Regis.

In 2012, Bitterroot Valley Bank merged with Ravalli County Bank, the oldest chartered bank in the state, founded by Copper King Marcus Daly in 1895. The bank had been in the Shonkwiler family since 1967. The banks in Ravalli County have served the Bitterroot Valley for 120 years.

In 2015, West One Bank and its two offices in Kalispell joined the Family of Banks, allowing the bank to service customers in the Flathead Valley.