AmericanWest banners drape the signs that formerly read Viking Bank, announcing to the public that the merger and acquisition of Viking Bank is now complete.

After three years of financial struggles, the merger of Viking Bank and AmericanWest Bank was first announced in September.

At that time Landon Brazier, Chairman of Viking Financial, assured us that the merger will be good for the Ballard Community.

"This organization will now be a stronger support to the community than we have been in recent years. With more financial resources and a larger capital base, we will be able to make larger loans than Viking Bank was ever able to make," he said. "The name's going to change but the level of service will be the same."

Brazier said they're working to ensure that Viking Bank employees will maintain their positions in the bank and customers will notice little change in the bank's service.

"Customers are likely going to wind up dealing with the same people they've been dealing with all along," Brazier said.

Additionally, Brazier said AmericanWest Bank is interested in the Maritime industry and the community will continue to enjoy the long‐standing stewardship they’ve come to expect from Viking Bank.

"The name's going to change but the level of service will be the same," Brazier said.

Based in Spokane, Washington, AmericanWest Bank currently operates 63 branches in Washington, Idaho, California and Utah. As of September 2011, AmericanWest Bank had total assets of approximately $2.0 billion and deposits of approximately $1.6 billion. Find out more about AmericanWest Bank at http://wwww.awbank.net.