MB&T Opens Oxnard Branch & Celebrates Local Nonprofits
January 25, 2024
Montecito Bank & Trust Opens Oxnard Branch & Celebrates Local Nonprofits
Oxnard, Calif. – On January 25th, over 140 Oxnard community leaders and business members gathered with Montecito Bank & Trust (MB&T) associates for a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration of the community bank’s 16th full-service branch located at 300 W. Esplanade Drive, Oxnard, CA 93036.
MB&T, the largest locally owned community bank on the Central Coast, first established roots in Ventura County nearly 20 years ago with the opening of its Westlake branch, later expanding to Ventura and Camarillo. Janet Garufis, CEO and Chairman, is excited to join the Oxnard community, noting “With our existing local ties, partnerships and client base, Oxnard is the natural progression for expanding our Ventura County presence. Bringing our local expertise, reputation for world-class service and unique corporate philanthropy programs to this community demonstrates MB&T’s nearly 49-year commitment to making the communities we serve better places to live and work.”
Born and raised in Oxnard, VP / Branch Manager, Armando Casillas, leads the locally based, bilingual team who have been active in Oxnard and the surrounding areas for 71 years. Reflecting on the opening, Armando shared that “Expanding our Montecito Bank & Trust footprint in my hometown of Oxnard is a dream come true. It is an honor for me and my team to welcome and to continue building partnerships with the residents, businesses, and nonprofit organizations of Oxnard now that our doors are officially open!” George Leis, President and COO, added “Montecito Bank & Trust associates are a reflection of the communities they serve and there is no better team than this to deliver our brand of friendly, approachable, and personalized service to the Oxnard community.”
Chairman & CEO, Janet Garufis, President & COO George Leis, and the Oxnard team were joined by Chair of the West Ventura County Business Alliance, Andrew Kiefer, Ventura County Supervisor, Kelly Long, and City of Oxnard Mayor, John Zaragoza for the ceremonial ribbon cutting. The celebration also included recognition of four local nonprofit organizations for their work in the Oxnard community. Representatives from each organization were in attendance and each received a check for $2,500.
- Oxnard College Foundation
- Oxnard Performing Arts Cente
- Rescue Mission Alliance
- Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation
Ms. Garufis closed the evening by inviting everyone to stop by and experience what community banking at Montecito Bank & Trust is all about, “I truly believe in the way we do business and I’m impressed every day by the work our associates do. I am confident that this team will welcome you with warm smiles and the world class experience we pride ourselves on.” The Oxnard branch is open Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm. The location also houses MB&T’s Residential Lending division, offering mortgages, home equity lines of credit, construction loans, manufactured home loans and VA loans.
Montecito Bank & Trust is the oldest and largest locally owned community bank in the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Founded in 1975, the bank celebrated its 48th anniversary on March 17, 2023, and operates 13 full-service branch offices and 3 retirement community locations, in Santa Maria, Solvang, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo and Westlake Village. Montecito Bank & Trust has a history of unwavering corporate philanthropy in the local communities it serves. The Bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers, including business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate finance; SBA loans; mortgage loans, consumer loans; credit cards; merchant services; and online services, including mobile banking and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division provides comprehensive trust services and full investment management for all branch office markets. The Bank has earned 27 Best Bank awards in the last 11 years, in addition to numerous accolades for Best Mortgage and Best Financial Services Company in Santa Barbara, Best Investment Company in Santa Ynez Valley and the fourth Best Bank to Work For in the United States (American Banker Magazine).
For more information, please contact
Megan Orloff, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer
(805) 564-0236 or [email protected]