Bank of Granite Timeline

  • October 1906 Group of Granite Falls citizens obtain charter to organize Bank of Granite
  • December 1906 Bank of Granite first opens its doors
  • 1906–1954 Many changes to downtown Granite Falls office including adding second floor, installing a drive-thru window, and adding space to include the consumer loan department, by 1954 Resources are $1.2 million, five employees, one office
  • 1954 Bank purchased and reorganized by group of Caldwell County citizens wanting to broaden potential for service
  • May 1954 John Forlines, Jr. joins bank as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors
  • February 1960 Lenoir office opens beginning a new era of growth
  • September 1961 Hudson office opens
  • July 1969 Original Granite Falls office relocated to modern Main Street facility
  • July 1970 Downtown Hickory office opens marking expansion into Catawba County
  • May 1972 Office opens in the Whitnel community of Lenoir
  • 1979 Hickory office moves into permanent location across from Union Square Common
  • September 1982 Charles Snipes joins Bank of Granite as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
  • September 1982 Resources $62 million with five offices in two counties
  • February 1984 Newton office opens
  • October 1985 Springs Road office in Hickory opens
  • July 1987 Viewmont office in Hickory opens, the fourth Catawba County office
  • May 1987 Bank of Granite Corporation becomes a bank holding company
  • July 1989 Morganton office opens marking expansion into Burke County
  • November 1991 Hibriten office opens, the third Lenoir office and fifth in Caldwell County
  • January 1996 Another Hickory-area office opens in Long View
  • April 1997 Office opens in Ingles grocery store in Baton community of Caldwell County
  • November 1997 Acquisition of mortgage specialists, GLL Associates, becomes Granite Mortgage, Inc.
  • March 1998 Mountain View office opens in southwest Hickory
  • May 1998 Vale office opens in Honey’s Supermarket in southern Catawba County
  • 2003 Vale office is sold
  • July 2003 Corporation makes first bank acquisition and enters the Charlotte-area market with three offices: Uptown, SouthPark, and Lake Norman/Cornelius
  • November 2003 Matthews loan production office opens
  • April 2003 Loan production offices open in Boone and Wilkesboro
  • August 2003 Boone and Wilkesboro become full-service banking offices
  • December 2003 Conover office opens
  • October 2004 Winston-Salem office opens
  • 2004 Breaks ground for new permanent Boone and Wilkesboro offices
  • January 2005 Charles Snipes named Chief Executive Officer
  • April 2005 Matthews becomes the 21st full-service banking office
  • October 2005 Wilkesboro office moves to new permanent location
  • January 2006 John Forlines retires after 52 years with the bank, Charles Snipes named Chairman of the Board
  • February 2006 Boone office moves to new permanent location
  • 2006 Banks assets are $1.1 billion, more than 275 employees, 21 offices in seven North Carolina counties