First Niagara Bank will close in Holley

HOLLEY – The village of Holley has been home to a bank for at least 150 years, but that will change in October when the First Niagara site at 51 Public Square closes.

First Niagara notified some of its customers today by mail that the branch will close on Friday, Oct. 7. The bank steered customers to the closest First Niagara branch at 4707 Lake Rd., Brockport.

“Your accounts will automatically transfer to the Brockport Branch where you’ll be able to take care of your banking needs with the same ease and personal service you’ve come to expect,” said a letter to customers from Mark R. Rendulic, executive vice president for consumer financial services for First Niagara.

First Niagara is being acquired by Key Bank. The news of the Holley closure disappointed many in the community, including former Mayor John Kenney.

“I’m totally caught off guard,” Kenney said today.

He was Holley’s mayor up until June 30. He didn’t seek re-election last month. Kenney said he met with bank officials in Holley last month and they told him they expected the Holley site would remain open.

Kenney said it will leave a big vacant building in the heart of downtown, and also be inconvenient to residents, businesses and the village government officials, who have the added burden of traveling to sites in Brockport or Albion if they stay with First Niagara/Key Bank.

“The staff in Holley they have a rapport with their customers,” Kenney said. “We’re an older community and change like this isn’t easy for people to deal with.”

Dan Schiavone, a Holley dentist, received one of the letters from First Niagara today, notifying him of the bank’s shutdown. He is hopeful another bank will acquire the site so the site is utilized and the community has easy access to banking services.