First Liberty Bank & Trust Announces New Branch in Hazleton

First Liberty Bank & Trust Announces New Branch in Hazleton 


SCRANTON, Pa., July 16  /PRNewswire/ -- First Liberty Bank & Trust has
announced that it is opening a new branch office in Hazleton.  The remodeled
facility, formerly a Fleet branch, is located at 70 South Wyoming Street, and
is scheduled to open on August 2, 2004.  The branch will be a full-service
facility and will be First Liberty's second Hazleton office.  First Liberty
will then have a total of 28 branch offices in Northeast PA.

The hallmark of First Liberty is high-quality customer service coupled with
fast, local loan decisions.  The new facility will include space for three
tellers, a customer service representative, branch manager and a two lane
drive-thru.  The office will not have an ATM on site when it opens but the
Bank's plan is to install one in the near future.

Thomas A. McCullough, First Liberty's President for PA Banking, stated, "We are
excited about opening this new office as Hazleton is a very important market
for us in Luzerne County, along with our offices in Hazleton on Airport Road,
Kingston, Pittston, Back Mountain and two offices in Wilkes-Barre.  Our goal is
to develop meaningful and mutually rewarding relationships with our customers,
and this new office underscores our commitment to the local communities we
serve."

The new office will offer Commercial Lending, Financial Services and Trust, in
addition to First Liberty's complete menu of retail bank products and services.
 These include:  Free Checking, drive-thru service, convenient electronic
banking such as Free ATM cards, Telephone and Internet banking inquiry and
account transfers, and the bank's debit VISA Check Card, all of which permits
busy customers to transact routine banking transactions without ever having to
park and come into the lobby, even on nights and weekends.

The new manager will be Lisa Hartz.  Lisa has 15 years in banking, including
four years as Assistant Branch Manager at the Airport Road office. She is a
lifelong resident of Ringtown Valley.  Lisa and her staff look forward to
welcoming old friends and new to the new facility.  The bank plans a Grand
Opening Celebration in late August and further details will be announced closer
to the event.

First Liberty Bank & Trust is a Northeast PA-based community bank focused on
providing outstanding quality customer service.  With 28 branches and nearly
400 employees and approximately $1 billion in local deposits, First Liberty
serves over 48,000 households throughout 5 counties.  Its holding company,
Community Bank System, Inc. has over $4 billion in assets and trades on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol CBU. 

DATASOURCE: First Liberty Bank & Trust



CONTACT:  Thomas A. McCullough, President PA Banking, First Liberty Bank

& Trust, Office - [phone], Fax, [phone]

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