NATCHEZ — UMB is pleased to announce the opening of a new loan office in St. Francisville, La., bringing the number of UMB locations to 12.

“With this new loan office, we are pleased to have a presence in West Feliciana Parish, introducing UMB’s competitive loans and excellent customer service to this vibrant area,” UMB CEO Adrian Sandel said. “We are proud to become a part of this community and look forward to a building lasting and valuable relationships in St. Francisville.”

As a natural progression of growth from UMB’s Woodville location, the new loan office will be available to provide consumer and business loans to the extended market area.

To work with local individuals and businesses in West Feliciana Parish as well as Wilkinson and Amite counties, UMB hired Stephen N. Garrett IV to serve as Vice President/Lender.

Garret comes to UMB with 10 years of banking experience and began his banking career as a Relationship Manager at First Bank in Hattiesburg for three years. As Assistant Vice President at Trustmark Bank in McComb, MS for the next five years, Garrett expanded his loan portfolio, offering his clients exemplary customer service. Before his move to UMB, Garrett spent the last two years as Vice President/Lender at Community Bank in Laurel where he gained invaluable experience, becoming a successful lender who values customer relationships.

A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007, Garrett received his bachelor of business administration, majoring in finance. Furthering his education, he graduated from the Mississippi School of Banking in 2015. Garrett recently married Woodville native, Carlee Mingee. They attend Centreville United Methodist Church.

“By employing Stephen Garrett, UMB continues its tradition of hiring the right people to serve our market areas,” UMB President and Chief Credit Officer Mike Ellard said. “It is through the lending process that we are able to build stable and prosperous communities, giving locals opportunity to improve their quality of life. Garrett is the right person for this job, and we are excited to have him on our team.”

UMB will host a ribbon cutting and After Hours event on Dec. 7 with the St. Francisville Chamber of Commerce. Located at 5451 Live Oak Centre Drive, Suite B, UMB’s office hours will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.