February 2025
Washington, MO – Bank of Washington Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer L. B. Eckelkamp, Jr. recently announced that the bank has expanded its branch network into Clayton, MO.
“Our branches play a crucial role in how we serve our customers,” stated Bank of Washington President, Louis B. “Buzz” Eckelkamp, III. “We’ve continuously reinvested in our branches with recent remodels at our branch inside Schnucks, in Gray Summit, at Fourteenth Street, and in our downtown Washington location. Our new branch in Clayton further demonstrates our commitment to our customers and our employees, and our desire to align the branch experience with both of their needs.”
Bank of Washington, which continues to grow and surpassed $1 billion in assets in 2023 with over 150 employees, opened a new branch on the ground floor of the Pierre Laclede Center at 7701 Forsyth Boulevard, at the intersection of Forsyth and Hanley in Clayton. The over 6,000 square foot banking center has state-of-the-art technology offering full-service in-person retail and business banking, large collaboration spaces, a Live ATM, and private consultation offices. The Bank also provides extended service hours with a banker being available 7 days a week through its Live ATM network.
“We are a true community bank, with local decision making, reinvesting local dollars back into the communities we serve, creating local jobs, and working diligently to provide personalized, relationship-based banking services,” said Eckelkamp, III. “Clayton was a natural choice for us as our first move beyond Franklin County because of the great relationships we already have in this market. We are excited to finally have a physical presence here, in the heart of Clayton’s business district, to further develop those relationships and cultivate new ones.”
Bank of Washington was established in 1877 and is headquartered in Washington, MO. In addition to seven branch locations, the Bank serves customers through digital banking and a fleet of 11 Live ATMs that provide customers an experience similar to drive-thru banking. The Live ATMs, contact center, and branch at Fourteenth Street in Washington are open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 7:00pm, plus Saturday and Sunday hours of 9:00am to 1:00pm. The Bank is also a member of the Money-Pass ATM network, helping customers access their cash all over the United States with approximately 40,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide.
“It is important to us to provide customers with a variety of ways to interact with us and manage their finances,” stated Eckelkamp, III. “Customers have different needs at different times and do not always bank the same way. The teams at our branches are key, our digital banking has an incredible amount of money management tools, and our Live ATMs have helped us provide support beyond traditional hours across the region. We have an amazing team of employees who are motivated by helping customers and growing relationships. We are here for our customers, however they prefer to bank.”
The Bank of Washington’s mission is to do good – by prioritizing employees, customers, community, and relationships. They currently have seven locations in four cities: Washington, Villa Ridge, Gray Summit, and Clayton. The investments that the Bank of Washington makes in the local community and surrounding area ranks them as one of the largest commercial lenders in the St. Louis area. The Bank of Washington is consistently selected by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly readers as one of the Best Banks in St. Louis and Best in Customer Service in St. Louis and is consistently voted the No. 1 bank and mortgage lender in the Washington Missourian Readers’ Choice Awards.