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Article: Commerce Bank sees niche in D.C.
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- February 14, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Washington Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Tom Ramstack
Feb. 14--Banking industry analysts say a turf battle looms after Commerce Bank announced tentative dates last week for opening 10 to 15 branches in Northern Virginia, the District and Maryland this year.
For bank customers, the result could be longer banking hours and more competitive rates on routine services.
In a city with many of the nation's biggest banks, Commerce Bank is trying to carve out a niche with an operating style similar to that of Wal-Mart or Starbucks.
"It's a market that has lots of consumers and small businesses," said Mark Fitzgibbon, director of research for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, a Wall ...