HAMPTON -- In their five years in Hampton, the Community Bank & Trust Company has truly lived up to its name by serving the needs of the entire community both past and present.

"Our customer base is the type of person who really wants individualized service and really wants to be recognized when they walk in the bank," explains Tina Levasseur, Vice President and Branch Manager for Community Bank & Trust's Hampton Branch.

That's exactly the type of service customers regularly receive within the walls of the Community Bank & Trust facility, located at 117 Winnacunnet Road. According to Levasseur, the bank's dedicated staff consistently goes the extra mile for all of their clients. Customers are known on a first name basis and client voices are even recognized on the phone.

Levasseur attributes the extraordinary level of client knowledge, at least in part, to the bank's extremely low turnover rate. Five out of the eight employees working on the ground floor have been with the branch since their opening.

"They're really a great crew downstairs" commends Levasseur.

Customers are equally delighted with Community Bank's efforts to preserve the culture and history of the town of Hampton. Each year, the branch — along with Lane Library Hampton Historian John Holman and Technical Services Director William Teschek — produces calendars featuring historic shots of scenic Hampton. Through the years, Levasseur has personally bore witness to quite a few touching tales which were a direct result of these calendars.

"The calendar has been really kind of fun and it is really a community kind of thing," she said.

Even the building itself is rife with historical flavor — an atmosphere epitomized by the fireplace which is located right in the closing room.

While the bank strives to preserve the past, they are also pushing toward the future.

Community Bank & Trust offers 24-hour ATM, phone banking and on-line banking service. Clients can check their accounts and make transfers any time of day with these cutting-edge services. According to Levasseur, they will even be able to pay their bills on-line in approximately six months.

As a full-service institution, Community Bank provides checking accounts, safety deposit boxes, commercial and real estate loans, traveler's checks, high-yield CDs and money market accounts. Additional services like the free Senior checking and the Christmas Club coupon books are just some of the added bonuses which have endeared this bank into the hearts of their clients.

Clients of Community Bank have the advantage of having all processing done on-site. This feature comes in very handy when, for example, a client is paying back a car loan and would like to get their title back that day, or if they are eagerly waiting on partial payment of a home improvement loan.

Quality products and services like these are a major factor in the continued success of this branch.

"It's been a pretty good year," says Levasseur. "The bank has been growing and it is mostly due to word of mouth. Hard work and satisfied customers — that's really what we do."

In 2001, the Hampton branch saw a $6 million increase in deposits and a $5 million increase in loans; a couple of sure signs that the sky is the limit for Community Bank.

Community Bank & Trust Company is open for bank lobby and drive-up services on Monday through Thursday from 8:30 n.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The bank is located directly across from the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton and can be contacted at 929-2100. For more information on the company, visit www.CommunityBankNH.com.