Oldest bank has new ideas
Sugar Pine Realty-Better Homes & Gardens has four offices throughout Tuolumne County to help homeowners market their property, and is the only real estate office in the county authorized to use the Better Homes & Gardens name."Better Homes & Gardens is a great name for us," said owner Emmett Brennan, "because it typifies what we do. We represent the home and family."
Emmett started Sugar Pine Realty in a small building in Sugar Pine in 1977. The company franchised with Better Homes & Gardens in 1985.
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-- DON SMITH
Wells Fargo Bank branch manager
A FRIENDLY FACE is among the requirements for being part of the Wells Fargo Bank staff. Pictured from left, RuchAnn Gilliatt, Leisa Seese, Manager Don Smith and Chris Blacklock are four of the 13 people whose friendly faces you will see at the Sonora branch.
Anytime, anywhere banking is the motto of Wells Fargo Bank.
Representatives from the bank will be on hand at the Home and Garden Show to explain how customers can take advantage.
Wells Fargo, established in 1852, is the oldest bank in California.
Transaction options
In addition to full banking services, customers are now offered six ways to take care of their banking transactions:
-- In-store.
-- Express ATM.
-- Telephone banking.
-- Bank-by-mail.
-- Online banking.
-- Old-fashioned branch banking.
"You used to have to walk in to a teller," said Don Smith, branch manager of Sonora's Wells Fargo Bank.
Now, he said, "basically you can bank any way. You can do 98 percent of your banking on the phone or at the ATM, but you're still welcome to come in the bank."
'Customer access'
A new account being offered customers of Wells Fargo is the "custom access account," free if you have direct deposit.
The account can save customers up to $125 per year in banking fees, and offers free checking with direct deposit.
Wells Fargo also prides itself on fast, friendly customer service.
"We are service-oriented," said Smith. "We like to get people in, and get them out (quickly), and give them a lot of options, because we know their time is valuable."
Business products
"We offer a full line of business products," said Smith, "including payroll, merchant card service, lines of credit and commercial loans."
"And," he added, "we are extremely competitive with commercial real estate loans."
Home loans
Smith said visitors to the Home and Garden Show will receive lots of information about the bank's low-cost equity lines of credit and equity loans, as well as first mortgage loans for the purchase or refinance of a home.
There will be lots of information about all of the bank's products, especially the ones relating to home purchases, refinance, improvement or lines of credit.
Each family applying at the show for an equity line, equity loan or first mortgage will be given a free safety deposit box for one year.
A free drawing will be held for a $50 savings bond.
Wells Fargo
808 E. Mono Way, Sonora
532-3106