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You can bank on it

By Blackwell Thomas, The Southern

Monday, December 10, 2007 8:48 AM CST

CARBONDALE - If construction stays on schedule Carbondale and Murphysboro residents will have two new banking options beginning this February.

Construction is well underway on two new branches of First Southern Bank, one on Old Illinois 13 in Carbondale, the other on East Walnut Street in Murphysboro.

First Southern CEO John Dosier said the two new banks will create "seven or eight" new jobs between them.

"We will have approximately five full time (employees) at each branch," he said. "(Some of) our employees from the Carbondale facility will move over to the new facility and we are in the process of hiring some new people for Murphysboro."

Dosier said the two buildings will be about 1,700 square feet each and, despite a couple of small differences, will be identical.

"It will be the brick and stone on the outside of the buildings which will match our main branch in Carbondale," he said. "We are working toward a common look."

The banks will be full service branches complete with ATMs, tellers, customer service representatives and drive-through service.

"We'll have pretty much any current bank technology, teller equipment, pretty much the most current technology as well as the convenience a fully staffed branch," Dosier said.

First Southern is locally owned by about 60 investors.

Blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com

351-5823