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The name on the sign is different. The interior has seen a facelift. But the people and the service are the same, bank officials said.

What was once Lathrop Bank on Missouri Highway 33 in Holt is now Goppert Financial Bank. The company changed the name to unify the branches, but it’s the same company that has served Holt residents for decades.

Goppert Financial Bank came to Holt in 1973, and it’s the only bank in the community. Assistant Vice President Pat James said there has been a lot of discussion among customers when they walk through the door.

“The customers generally walk in and say, ‘Wow,’” James said. “Some are concerned about the name change or that we’re fixing up the place, thinking we got bailout money. But that’s not the case. This has been planned for a long time, and I’m really excited to see it all finally come together.”

In the physical upgrades, James said the bank has tried to stay local with the work. Of the companies the bank used for renovations was E and T Carpet of Holt. Two companies from Lathrop, a commercial cabinet shop from Liberty and Banker’s Security from Kansas City also worked on the project.

“It’s been really helpful for me that they chose to stay local,” Tim Blair, owner of Blair Construction, said. “Most of the work I do is in the area of new homes and since those aren’t being built, business has been tough. Jobs like this definitely help. And I think it will be a great benefit for the employees and the community.”

Dale Fuller, a customer at the bank since 1976, agreed.

“They may be making small changes, but everything they are doing is making it a nicer bank for the community,”

Bank customer Barbara Stillman echoed those comments. While she couldn’t recall the exact date, sometime in the past 17 years the bank stopped being simply a place to deposit checks or stop by the ATM and became a place her family enjoyed.

“This isn’t just a bank,” Stillman said. “They are like my family. It’s more than just knowing my name when I walk in. They genuinely know me and my family and they care.”

Staff writer Carrie Alexander can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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written by AnnieJ, June 04, 2009

It's nice to see a locally owned bank, that invests it's time and money back into the community.

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