The Southwest area of Florida remains one of the fast-growing areas of the country and Colonial continues to expand its presence here to be a major player in this market that is full of opportunities. Southwest Florida has a reputation as a retirement haven but, in fact, Naples ranks number one in the nation in attracting young, college-age professionals. From 1995–2000, the Naples region added 483 people from this demographic for every 1,000 citizens who were already there.

And Colonial is growing through the roof to keep up with the boom. In 2003, the bank’s non-time deposits grew 43% and total assets grew by 29%. Colonial has opened eight new branches in the region over the last year and has plans to add 13 through 2005 with the construction of eight new locations and the addition of five locations from the PCB acquisition to be completed this year. Among the new branches is a prominent location in downtown Naples, giving the bank a strong presence in a highly competitive market.

With endless opportunities, Colonial is growing by marketing retail banking and mortgage business to young people and wealth management products to “active adult” customers.