Business & Tech

New Decatur Bank May Open in Fall

State, federal regulators approved the Private Bank of Decatur.

State and federal bank regulators have given approval for the to open for business.

The FDIC gave approval June 13. State approval was granted earlier this year.

Bank of Decatur President Judy Turner told Patch recently she expects the office at One Decatur Town Square, a building at 150 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., to open in the autumn.

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Turner said earlier in the year that the spot has about 5,000 square feet, which should allow the Private Bank of Decatur to hire ten to 12 people.

The space used to be occupied by the old C&S Bank and already has a bank vault. Turner noted she started her banking career in Decatur in those offices when she worked for C&S.

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The Private Bank of Decatur is a branch of the Private Bank of Buckhead. A statement from the Private Bank of Buckhead said,

“What do the people of Decatur need to know about us?” says Turner, who has been in banking in Metro Atlanta for over 45 years. “Well, they should know that our name exemplifies our approach: We believe that all customers should benefit from the private banking approach other banks reserve for a certain few. We have team members with deep roots both personally and professionally in Decatur, and new team members who are joining us specifically to serve Decatur; many will be familiar to customers and are certainly familiar with the community.”

Turner helped start Decatur First Bank in 1996. , which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver.

To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Fidelity Bank to assume all of the deposits of Decatur First Bank.

Two bankers who previously worked with Turner at Decatur First Bank, Melanie Funk and Jamie Ensley, have also joined the Private Bank of Decatur.

The Private Bank of Decatur provided these bios:

In addition to knowing her through 45 years as a banker, many are familiar with Judy Turner through her community involvement. She was recently named President of the Decatur Book Festival (having previously served as Treasurer) and serves as Chair of the Development Authority of DeKalb County, Trustee of the DeKalb History Center, Treasurer of Seniors Helping Seniors and is on the board of the DeKalb Medical Foundation. She has served on the boards of both the Community Bankers Association and the Georgia Bankers Association. Judy is a Decatur resident.

Melanie Funk, who is a Personal Banker with Private Bank of Decatur, previously spent more than three years with Decatur First Bank. Melanie and her family moved to Decatur in 1971 where she attended City of Decatur schools and graduated from Decatur High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern College. Active in the community, Melanie has served on the board of the Decatur Business Association, co-chaired that group’s Concerts Committee, and was co-chair in 2009 of the Decatur Education Foundation’s Low Country Boil – one of the organization’s primary fundraisers. She also has served as community volunteer with the Decatur Book Festival, the Decatur Beach Party and the Decatur Beer Festival, and is a parent volunteer at Decatur High School. Melanie resides in Decatur.

Jamie Ensley, who is a Senior Vice President and Relationship Manager with Private Bank of Decatur, has more than 20 years’ banking experience, including having served as a Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender with Decatur First Bank. Jamie also has served as a Business Development Officer with Wells Fargo and as a commercial and SBA lender with Sunrise Bank of Atlanta. He is adept at providing tailored solutions for his customers across all of their banking needs. Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Louisiana State University and excels not just in community banking, but also in community leadership. He is currently Chairman of the Atlanta Dogwood Arts Festival, a major national event, and also serves as National Board Treasurer for the Log Cabin Republicans and as Treasurer of Georgia Equality, a statewide advocacy group. In addition to previously serving on the boards of and as an officer for a number of other community and political organizations, Jamie has served as treasurer on political campaigns. He continues his involvement with the Decatur Business Association and the Atlanta Chapter of LSU Alumni.


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