HAMPTON -- The Provident Bank recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its newest full-service branch, located at 321 Lafayette Road.

Among those present for the traditional ceremony and morning reception were The Provident Bank's Charlie Cullen, president and CEO; David Mansfield, CFO; Chuck Withee, executive vice president, commercial lending; Gary Coltin, senior vice president, retail banking; and Board of Directors, Hampton area business owners and bank corporators Tom Moulton of Deniro Construction, Paul Lepere of The Hamptons Real Estate, Steve Dumont of Dumont Property Group, and Dean Merrill of Tobey and Merrill Insurance, who assisted in the ribbon cutting.

Ginni McNamara and Katie Curran represented the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce.

At the event, Dan Dolan, vice president of commercial lending, and Scott Beattie, Hampton branch manager, announced that three local Hampton organizations would share in a $1,000 donation from the bank: the Free Medical Clinic, the Hampton Youth Association and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

With their vote, community members will decide how the $1,000 will be distributed among the three organizations. The voting will be open through March 26 at the Hampton office; only one vote can be cast per person, per day.

After March 26, the votes will be tallied and the organizations will be awarded their donations at a Grand Opening Reception on March 31. Cullen also thanked John Tinios, owner of The Galley Hatch restaurant and former owner of the property at 321 Lafayette Road, and commercial developer Scott Mitchell for their roles in bringing The Provident Bank to Hampton. Both corporators of the Bank, Tinios and Mitchell initially presented the opportunity to build a Provident Bank office in Hampton. "Our continued expansion is a testament to the strength and stability of The Provident Bank," said Cullen. "We are excited to be in Hampton."

Withee, also of Hampton, said, "Our mutually owned and locally managed bank cannot be bought or sold and will provide the community of Hampton with banking solutions and services that fit their lifestyles and needs. They can also feel good about working with a staff comprised of local people."

The new Hampton branch is The Provident's fourth New Hampshire location. Other Granite State offices are in Portsmouth, Seabrook and Exeter. The bank also has two branches in Amesbury, Mass. and two in Newburyport, Mass.

With assets nearing $500 million, the bank provides a full suite of consumer and business banking products and services for individuals, businesses, organizations and municipalities.

Established in 1828, the Provident Bank is an independent, mutually owned full-service community bank. The bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF), a private, industry-sponsored insurance fund. Deposits are insured in full.