Hudson Valley Bank adds new White Plains branch

Hudson Valley Bank will open its 15th Westchester branch and its 18th overall in downtown White Plains on Sept. 22.

The new branch, at 40 Church St " will occupy 2,500 square feet previously occupied by the law office of Gregory J. Drummond. The bank signed a long-term lease with property owner

Hudson Valley Bank is one of six banks set to enter Westchester or expand in the country over the next several months.

The new White Plains branch also fulfills a 15-year goal of the bank to expand within the county seat. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the bank was stymied from opening a downtown White Plains branch because the citys population was under 50,000.

In such cities, state law allows community banks to object to the entry of commercial banks like Hudson Valley. It was blocked from expanding in White Plains by a community bank till the 2000 U.S. Census showed the city's population at 53,077, up 9 percent from the 1990 Census figure.

Hudson Valley Bank will retain its White Plains branch at 328 Central Ave., about a mile southwest of downtown.

Yonkers-based Hudson Valley Bank had $1.6 billion in total assets and $1.1 billion in total deposits as of June 30.