This says a lot about the strength of THFF to open new branches in this environment.




TERRE HAUTE — Yet another business is setting its sights on Terre Haute’s east side.

First Financial Bank officially broke ground Tuesday morning for a new banking center on Indiana 46 near the eastside Walmart north of I-70. The facility should be completed by fall, bank officials said.

“This area is growing greatly,” said Don Smith, president and chairman of First Financial Corp., who attended the groundbreaking ceremony at the new branch site. “Hopefully, this will help the economy a little.”

The new bank facility, expected to measure more than 4,000 square feet, will be on the west side of Indiana 46 just south of Walmart. The branch will include inside teller stations, several drive-up service lanes, a night deposit box and an ATM machine. It also will include a hospitality center and safe deposit boxes, according to a media release provided by First Financial.

“We believe in Terre Haute and Vigo County,” said Norm Lowery, president of First Financial Bank and CEO of First Financial Corp., who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. Despite the slow economy, Lowery said First Financial remains extremely optimistic about the future, especially for the Wabash Valley and the surrounding region. “I think we’ll fare better than other parts of the country.”

Other businesses recently have shown interest in Terre Haute’s southeast side near where Indiana 46 meets Margaret Avenue and Interstate 70. A Holiday Inn Express is in the planning stages for that neighborhood as is a new branch of the Vigo County Federal Credit Union. Sonic, a drive-up restaurant, is under construction just a few lots north of the new First Financial branch location on 46.

“This was the location that we wanted,” Lowery said of the newly developing southeast side. The new location will benefit First Financial customers living in Riley and Brazil, he noted.