Unusual menagerie helps welcome new bank in town

Employees of the new branch of National Bank and Trust Co. at 930 N. Main St. in Elburn greeted customers Saturday with the help of a tarantula named Rosie, a ball python named William, and Honey, a bearded dragon who kept such a low profile she was often mistaken for plastic.

It wasn't business as usual. The bank, which opened in January, invited Chris Brodnicki, director of the Midwest Museum of Natural History in Sycamore, to be part of grand-opening festivities.

He brought a few of his charges and some museum specimens, including a replica of the skull of a saber-toothed cat. The replica was fashioned after a real skull found in the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.

Personal banker Ryan Gifford, who rather nervously allowed William the python to make a loop around his neck, summed up the bank's philosophy.

"Our lending strategy is built on service," he said. "We can do everything a big bank can do but we have the personal touch."

Gifford said National Bank and Trust has had the same name for more than 100 years and "that's not going to change."

Jim Dombeck, a vice president and trust officer at the Sycamore branch, explained the logic behind the branch.

"Elburn is an attractive, vibrant community," he said. "We saw the need for a personal-service bank here. More and more banks are being bought and sold by conglomerates. … We want to be a community bank here."