First National Bank of Long Island opens first Brooklyn location in Bay Ridge

A new bank opened its doors in grand fashion when the First National Bank of Long Island hosted its cocktail reception and ribbon cutting on the evening of January 12.

The party welcomed local business owners, customers and invited guests to try a variety of small bites and cocktails as the bank opened its new Bay Ridge location.

“This is the first ever Brooklyn branch for this bank,” said Galina Narchuk, assistant manager of the branch, who then showed off a map of Long Island that displayed all of the other branch locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau counties. This is a welcome expansion for the bank, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary, as proudly mentioned by First National Bank of Long Island President Michael Vittorio.

The night also had appearances by Deputy Chief of Staff for State Senator Marty Golden John Quaglione, and Senior Vice President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Rick Russo, who helped Branch Manager Yajaira Estevez hold the big scissors for the ribbon cutting. Quaglione also presented a Certificate of Merit to Estevez and wished her good luck in the bank’s new home.

The bank, which is decorated with old photos of Bay Ridge in the late 1800s and early 1900s, makes patrons feel like they are in someone’s living room, not a bank, and even has a comfortable sitting area complete with a fireplace.

Estevez extended the neighborly welcome by going around to local businesses herself to hand out invitations so that “we call all feel part of the community.” Multiple employees of the bank were also heard throughout the night talking to many new customers, stressing the idea that they hope to “bring a community feeling that larger banks cannot offer,” as stated by Executive Vice President Rick Perro.

At the end of the ribbon cutting, a driver passing by yelled out an employee’s name from their car, completely in line with the bank’s motto, “Where everyone knows your name.”

The First National Bank of Long Island is located at 9202 Fourth Avenue. It is offering special promotional rates for new customers, including .55 percent APR when you open a savings account, as well as free checking accounts for FDNY employees and their families.

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