BANK OF THE WEST TO OPEN FOUR NEW LOCATIONS VALENCIA, PORTER RANCH FIRST, THEN VENTURA, OXNARD.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Living up to its name, Bank of the West will expand its West Coast presence by four local locations.

By year's end, the lender, a subsidiary of Honolulu-based BancWest, will set up shop in Porter Ranch, Valencia, Oxnard and Ventura. Originally conceived by United California Bank, Bank of the West assumed the four spots when it acquired UCB in March. Referred to as `de novo' in banking parlance, the new locations inject the bank into attractive consumer and business locations.

``They will be very beneficial locations to have a presence,'' said Bob Wolff, UCB's assistant vice president of corporate communications. ``When it was announced that we were being acquired by Bank of the West, they concurred and agreed to move forward on those. If you look at those areas, they're in growth areas. They're near major retail hubs with national brand retailers.''

The Porter Ranch branch sits directly across from a mammoth Wal-Mart. The Valencia location, opening along with Porter Ranch in late September, occupies a spot in the Promenade shopping center at the intersection of McBean and Magic Mountain parkways. Bank of the West has particularly high expectations for the latter branch, a 2,600-square-foot location.

``Valencia is one of the fastest-growing Southern California communities currently,'' Wolff said. ``There's potential there for market growth and customer growth, so we felt that was an area that could be better served.''

According to local business guru Jack Kyser of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., the placement of the two should serve Bank of the West well.

``If you're going after both business and consumers, these areas would fit the bill,'' said Kyser, chief economist for the nonprofit development organization. ``People are time-constrained, so they want to be able to hit the bank and the Wal-Mart in the same trip. For a long time, banks were off in more fringe locations where people had to take a separate, discreet trip. Now, they're starting to think like retailers.''

The Ventura County locations, scheduled to open toward the end of the year, follow the same pattern, locating near the county administration building and several strip malls in Ventura, and across from Oxnard City Hall. Developers are in the process of revamping the power center to include a Home Depot and Old Navy, which Wolff thinks will make the branch even stronger.

``That shopping center will dramatically reshape the shopping patterns in Oxnard, so we want to get in there,'' he said. ``That area's continuing to grow and is perhaps underserved.''

Though still technically considered UCB locations, the branches already carry Bank of the West signs and will formally open under the latter's banner. The remaining 71 UCB locations scattered throughout the local region will relaunch under the new name Sept. 16, backed by a hefty ad campaign.

``It's going to be a big deal because many Northern Californians are familiar with Bank of the West brand, but not here,'' he said. ``It's a great opportunity to bring it into Southern California.''

BANK OF THE WEST

--Valencia: 27011 McBean Parkway

--Porter Ranch: 19941 Rinaldi St.

--Oxnard: 371 Esplanade Drive

--Ventura: 1794 S. Victoria Ave.

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BANK OF THE WEST (see text)