Daily News Photo by CRISTIAN SIMESCU The first branch of the Bank of St. Croix has recently opened in Peter's Rest.

The Bank of St. Croix has opened its second location near the Peter's Rest Shopping Mall on St. Croix and bank officials say it is a milestone for the company that 12 years ago had no loans, no deposits, and no customers.

The bank's customers now number in the thousands and it is a $100 million bank, James Brisbois, the bank's president and chief executive officer, said.

It was the steady growth of customers that lead the bank to launch construction on the one-story building a year ago. The new building is about 5,000 square feet.

The bank opened the branch on Aug. 14 and is currently using about 3,500 square feet, and the bank expects to use the remaining space to meet demands of future expansion, Brisbois said.

He said the branch will give their existing customers another option for banking, help pull traffic from the bank's primary location in Gallows Bay, and encourage customer growth.

"It's also in a great location," he said.

The branch also features a drive-through teller service, which is not currently available at the Gallows Bay location, Christiana Williams, the bank's senior vice president said.

She said that the bank currently employees about 30 people.

"We are really proud of it," Brisbois said.

- Contact Tim Fields at 774-8772 ext. 364 or e-mail tfields@dailynews.vi.