The 1115 South Hualapai Way branch, a 10,000- square-foot full-service facility located on the southwest corner of West Charleston Boulevard and Hualapai Way, will also offer concierge-style business and personal banking. The branch will have everything from a fi nancial library where customers can bone up on the latest investment tips and techniques with the help of experienced bankers to podcasts on cash management services to a coffee and juice bar.

Rachelle Crupi, executive vice president and regional president of Bank of Nevada, said the concierge services are an extension of the bank's focus on delivering high quality services to clients.

"The bank as a whole has a very experienced local staff with local decision-makers. I'm a native of Las Vegas, live fi ve miles from the branch and have 20 years of community banking experience," she said in an interview this month. "And the branch has an excellent team of banking professionals."

Bank of Nevada is the state's largest locally owned and managed bank. Crupi said the branch will offer wealth management, cash management and trust services. Bank of Nevada is owned by Western Alliance Bancorp., a $4.7 billion bank holding company headquartered in Las Vegas which offers fi nancial services in Nevada, Arizona and California. For more information about Bank of Nevada, visit www.bankofnevada.com.

The Bank of North Las Vegas announced that its new headquarters on Simmons Street will open this summer, less than two years after the bank was founded. Bank of North Las Vegas was the first bank chartered in the city.

Bank representatives say it has exceeded financial expectations and established itself with nearly $70 million in assets in less than two years, and has taken the industry by surprise with a nontraditional business plan that is setting a new standard in community banking.

"We don't just do things differently, we are different," says James York, president and chief executive, in a press release. "Traditional community banking has become a thing of the past, and with all of the mergers and take-overs, there are very few local banks left in the valley. When creating the business model for this bank, it was critical that we restored the timehonored services once offered by neighborhood banks, while maintaining the products and technology that people have become accustomed to. I believe we have achieved that and more."

The bank's new main branch is scheduled to open this summer, and will boast some exciting features such as the BNLV Café, a place inside the bank where customers can enjoy a cup of Starbuck's coffee and fresh baked Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, as well as relax and watch television, or catch up on personal business by utilizing the bank's free wireless internet service.

The new main branch will be located at 6385 Simmons Street.

For more information about the Bank of North Las Vegas and the services they offer, contact the bank at (702) 259-2658, or visit its Web site at www.bankofnlv.com.

Republic Mortgage, Nevada's largest employee- owned mortgage company, announced in June that is was acquired by national lender First Horizon.

The transition will give borrowers the same level of service provided to them since 1988, but with the added strength of a 140-year-old banking institution and an expanded line of products and services.

"I'm thrilled to be able to offer our borrowers in Nevada additional products and services to what we've had in the past," said Beverly House-Myers, Republic's owner and founder and now Southern Nevada's district manager for First Horizon, in a press release. "We've always been one of the top mortgage bankers in Nevada, but the sale will be a huge benefit to our customers, and our staff as well."

Some of the improved services the company will offer include faster turn-around time for loan documents and closings, greater access to exceptions for unusual loan scenarios, greater capability of completing commercial loans. Approximately 90 percent of all loans will be serviced by First Horizon.

Product offerings will include more than 450 home loan products, credit cards, checking and savings accounts and CDs.

Republic Mortgage presently employs 52 loan offi cers and 126 total staff. Offi ces are located at 9580 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 200; 3340 West Sahara; 1401 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 250; 5598 S. Fort Apache; 175 East Warm Springs Road, Suite 108, in addition to Pahrump.

Ninety-five percent of small-business owners report feeling successful, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.

"Small-business optimism increased in the second quarter to levels not signifi cantly different from December 2006's all-time high of 114," said Dr. Scott Anderson, Wells Fargo senior economist, in June in a news release. "Despite fears that higher gasoline prices would weaken small business demand, steady job and income growth have helped sustain robust revenues and cash flows for small businesses. These survey results are consistent with our forecasts of a moderate rebound in economic activity in the second quarter of 2007." Small-business owner optimism also rose to levels near last year's record highs. The Index registered at 113 for second quarter 2007, nearly matching the high-score of 114 in fourth quarter 2006.

The Index tracks six key measures for both current and future expectations: financial situation, cash flow, revenues, capital allocation, job hiring and credit availability. For the past three quarters, all six measures have remained consistently strong, demonstrating an optimistic outlook.

The Q2 2007 results show more respondents "extremely satisfi ed or very satisfied" as small business owners compared to Q1 2007 (60 percent versus 50 percent, respectively).

Phoebe Sweet covers banking and marketing for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at (702) or by e-mail at phoebe.sweet@lasvegassun.com.