“BANK WANTED”
That’s what the sign said. The notice was erected by Mayor Jim Hancock and the town commissioners, who were looking for a bank for their community. The year was 1977, and a petition signed by 460 residents (the total population was only 900 back then) was also sent to the State Banking Commission and several well-known local banks asking for consideration.
The Raleigh Times newspaper picked up the story, as did the United Press International. Hancock was interviewed by radio stations as far away as Washington D.C.
John Trotman, head of the State Banking Commission, was impressed with the display of community interest and stated that if any bank should seek approval of a branch in Holly Springs, such a petition would be given every consideration.
The call was answered by the Fidelity Bank of Fuquay-Varina, and an application was received and was scheduled to be reviewed at a hearing of the State Banking Commission on January 25, 1978.
A mobile bank unit was moved onto the lot on the corner of Center and Main Streets, and the Fidelity Bank opened for business on May 1, 1978. Its first customer was, appropriately, Mayor Hancock.
Branch Manager Jimmy Ray Turner was quoted as saying “We’re not a stranger in town, Holly Springs residents have been going to Fidelity Bank in Fuquay-Varina and to other branches in other towns for many years to do their banking.” The Fidelity Bank was the first bank in Holly Springs since the Depression Days of the ‘30s.
