What do airplanes, baseball and banking have in common? A deep history and Patterson State Bank…
In the mid 1920’s, local businessman Harry P. Williams was a very busy man. He had made up his mind to go into banking, but was also involved with a major cypress lumber mill his family owned. He was obsessed with airplanes. (Later, he and his partner Jimmy Wedell would go on to break numerous air speed records and become world leaders in the 1930’s golden era of aviation.) He married Marguerite Clark, a famous Hollywood actress. Williams was also obsessed with baseball, and was the owner and manager of the widely known “crack amateur baseball team,” the Patterson Greys.
In 1925, Williams sent his 16 year old catcher from Gretna up to the Polo Grounds in New York City, to try out for the Giants. The rest, as they say, is history. 26 years later Mel Ott was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mel Ott played (sometimes while managing) for the New York Giants his entire career. He was a career .304 hitter, a 6-time NL home run leader, a 12-time all star, and a World Series champ. He was both the youngest player to hit 100 home runs and the first NL player to surpass 500 home runs, totaling 511 for his career. Ott led the Giants in home runs for 18 seasons in a row—a record that still stands and will likely never be broken. He was a power hitter who kicked his front leg up in his own unique style when he batted. He had to. Ott stood only 5’9” and weighed barely 170 lbs.
Mel Ott’s career was not the only thing that Harry Williams kickstarted in Patterson in 1925.
That year, Williams partnered with E. F. Marin and a group of local investors, and together they purchased the assets of the Union Bank and renamed it Patterson State Bank. Marin was the first cashier of PSB, and Williams became its first president.
Now in business for 90 years, PSB persevered through the Great Depression of 1929, World War II, the oil crash of the early 80s, and most recently the Great Recession. PSB remembers when things like drive-thru banking and 24 hour ATM service were new technologies. In 1978, PSB was first to offer ATMs here. They were the first to provide internet banking locally in 1998. PSB is proud of their past, but they always look to the future.
Today, PSB’s assets total $217 million. PSB’s net income for last year just was the most in its history, and they again earned Bauer’s best 5 star rating. Strong, but compared to industry standards PSB is still very much a small community bank. They still welcome customers to their offices, or meet them at theirs, with the same great service they’ve given for 90 years. They are true community bankers, making loans for homes and small businesses, construction, working capital, and equipment. They offer free personal and business checking, debit cards, and internet and mobile banking.
President Pete Lipari and Chairman Bill Marin pledge that PSB will continue to lead the way in providing the big bank technology but true community bank service. PSB’s online, smartphone and tablet banking apps provide mobile deposits, funds transfers, bill pay and account balances at their customers’ convenience. PSB is always improving its website and online loan applications for smoother and easier online experiences. In the coming weeks, PSB is rolling out credit cards with EMV chip technology for the highest standard of protection, along with supporting the ApplePay smartphone payment system. You can visit and interact with PSB on your favorite social media, where they have been since 2013.
Pioneering innovation and great customer service have always been Patterson State Bank hallmarks. As Marin says, “We have provided quality community banking since 1925, and we are always honored when someone becomes a PSB customer.” Like Williams’ star player so long ago, PSB has always delivered more than expected.