BANK OF THE CASCADES TAKES STEPS TO ENHANCE LOCAL BANKING CONVENIENCE

·         Mortgage Center moves to new location with larger team and expanded programs for area home buyers and home owners

·         ATM services expand with Old Mill ATM and a new mobile ATM van

·         Online services expanding with new Online Banking, Bill Pay and upcoming availability of Mobile and Mobile Remote Deposit

 

Bend, OR  (August 1, 2013) — Serving a growing mortgage customer base and continuing its tradition of financing the home loan needs of its neighbors in Central Oregon, Bank of the Cascades has taken steps to enhance convenience for customers by moving its Mortgage Center from downtown Bend to the Old Mill on July 29. The Bank’s Old Mill branch, located at 233 SW Wilson Avenue, has been repurposed to serve as the new Mortgage Center. The move is designed to take advantage of a central location, more parking and proximity to several of the area’s title companies. In conjunction with the move, the Bank is expanding its’ mortgage lending team and offering of home loan products and services to best serve the purchase and refinance needs of its customers and community. 

 

“We are very proud to have been a leader in providing quality mortgage services in Central Oregon for over 33 years and, most recently, have been growing our team of local mortgage loan experts to respond to the opportunities for home buying, building and refinancing in our community,” said Lance VanSooy, Vice President and Mortgage Regional Manager for Bank of the Cascades. “We understand this community and the home buying process, and are here to make it easy for our customers to get into the right program for their needs. We are striving to close home loans in under 30 days. We want to make the process easy while delivering quality programs with low rates and fees to make home buying, building and refinancing opportunities available in our community.”

 

In addition to conventional, VA and First Time Buyer home loans, the Bank now provides a new 5/1 ARM loan that offers a fixed rate for the first five years followed by an annually adjusted rate for the remainder of the loan. Additionally, the Bank continues to offer HARP loans to refinance homes with current mortgages that may be underwater, as well as a

“New Beginnings” program for previous home owners looking to start over. These programs have provided many local residents opportunities for home ownership at affordable prices.

Other Bank efforts to make banking easier for customers include the installation of a free-standing ATM next to the Old Mill Ticket Center. The new machine, and all other Bank of the Cascades ATMs, offer surcharge-free services to customers and visitors whose banks are part of the MoneyPass ATM network. In addition to the Old Mill ATM, Central Oregon residents will be seeing a new mobile ATM van at various community events.

 

“We are making many exciting changes to provide more convenient banking services for our customers,” said Debbie Amerongen, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of the Cascades. “We also want to welcome friends, neighbors and visitors to access our services whenever possible.”

Amerongen said the Bank recently purchased the mobile ATM van to support local community events including those sponsored by the bank such as Bend Summer Festival and Redmond Music on the Greens.

 

“We want to make banking easy for people and it has been great to see the positive reaction to the convenience of a mobile ATM at summer events around Central Oregon,” said Amerongen who added that the Mobile ATM will also travel to Boise, Idaho in the Fall to support events throughout the Treasure Valley communities served by Bank of the Cascades. 

 

According to Amerongen, the expanded ATM services are the first of many steps over the next few months to enhance the Bank’s accessibility and customer convenience. In August, all new online banking and bill pay services with enhanced features will be delivered, followed by the rollout of Mobile Banking and Mobile Deposit in the fall.

 

“While remaining committed to the advantages of local banking, we want to provide customer choice access in our branches, at ATMs, online, and through mobile or tablet access, no matter where they are and at times most convenient to them,” said Amerongen.

Bank of the Cascades is the principal subsidiary of Cascade Bancorp (NASDAQ: CACB). Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, Bank of the Cascades delivers personalized relationship banking, competitive financial products, and advanced technology applied for the convenience of customers. Founded in 1977, Bank of the Cascades offers full-service community banking through 28 branches in Central Oregon, Southern Oregon, Portland/Salem and Idaho’s Treasure Valley. Throughout its history, the bank has been recognized for its long-standing tradition of corporate philanthropy. For more information, visit www.botc.com.