For Immediate Release: Minnwest Bank CEO, Doug Karsky addresses COVID-19 and branch lobby closures

In this time of uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to be prepared for as many circumstances and situations as possible. While we can’t foresee the future, we can be better prepared for a variety of possibilities. With that in mind, we’d like to share with you some of the actions Minnwest will be taking to help contain and mitigate the spread of this virus-

Starting, Friday, March 20th Branch Lobbies will have restricted access, and we ask that you either set up an appointment or call your local branch to gain entry

Florence, Belview, Summit, Hammond and Wilmot branches will remain open but with reduced staff

Drive-thru will remain open for all locations

Morton and Wykoff locations will be closed until further notice, starting Friday, March 20th

Branch ATMs and Night Drop will remain open

All locations have been sanitized and are undergoing constant follow-up cleaning and sanitizing efforts. This includes all branch locations (with particular attention paid to high-touch surfaces) as well as administrative offices.

We are communicating with our employees frequently concerning their wellness. We have been and continue to encourage our employees to stay home actively should they be suffering from any symptoms related to COVID-19, or if they believe they may have been exposed to someone else with the coronavirus. Our HR Department is also working hard to make any necessary accommodations during this challenging time so that our employees feel confident that they are supported, should they need to stay home for any length of time.

We are following the recommendations outlined in the guidelines recently published by the Centers for Disease Control. We are actively monitoring news coming from the CDC to ensure we have the latest information.

We encourage our customers, whenever possible, to rely on alternative delivers channels like ATMs, mobile, or online banking for their banking needs. We have representatives on hand to assist customers who may be unfamiliar with this kind of banking. We will happily walk customers through the process so they can feel confident knowing their banking needs are being met, without requiring them to come into a branch.

We are instructing our employees to refrain from shaking hands and to limit in-person meetings and interactions. We also have supplied hand sanitizer for both our employees and our customers and increased cleaning supplies.

We are also encouraging our customers to be aware of scams, primarily via phone or email. Unfortunately, some people consider situations like this as an opportunity. If you have any questions about communication from the bank, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We share these steps recognizing that the best way to slow the spread of this illness is through transparent and timely information-sharing. Our utmost concern is for the health and well-being of our employees and our customers, and we will continue to provide updates as appropriate on minnwestbank.com/resources/heretohelp.

Doug Karsky, Minnwest Bank CEO