DAPHNE, Ala. — First US Bank has opened a new banking center at 28664 Highway 98 in Daphne, expanding the institution’s presence on the Eastern Shore.
The bank describes the location as offering local decision-making alongside personalized financial guidance and service — a positioning that community banks have leaned on as regional and national institutions have consolidated branch networks across Baldwin County.
Local leadership
Leadership at the new location includes Banking Center Manager Liz Shearer and Senior Vice President and Market Executive Rob Downing.
The emphasis on local decision-making carries practical weight for small business owners and prospective homebuyers. When lending decisions are made in the market rather than at a distant regional office, the underwriting conversation tends to account for context that does not appear on a credit application — a builder’s track record in the area, the seasonality of a coastal business, the specifics of a particular property.
Growth on the Eastern Shore
Daphne sits in one of the fastest-growing corridors in Alabama. Baldwin County has added residents at a pace that consistently outstrips state averages, and the Highway 98 corridor through Daphne has become a central commercial artery serving that growth.
New branch openings run counter to the broader industry trend, which has favored consolidation and digital channels. Banks that continue to invest in physical locations generally do so where population growth and small business formation justify the expense — conditions that describe the Eastern Shore fairly well.
The banking center at 28664 Highway 98 is now open for business.