Residents of Louisville have a new option for their checking and savings accounts. Guardian Savings Bank is known as one of the top-performing savings banks in the Tri-State area. Guardian opened its first Louisville location in September of 2023, providing its excellence service and high rates to a new market. So far, customers seem to be impressed.
“They couldn’t believe our rates are this good,” Branch Manager Crystal White said of customers. “People had never heard of us, so they weren’t sure if we were a real bank. They would make a trip over to come see us, just to make sure we existed before opening accounts. We often hear we have the best rates in the market. We’re known in the markets we serve for meeting or being above the competition.”
The new Guardian location is open Monday through Saturday. Guardian focuses on home mortgage loans and checking and savings accounts for their customers.
Mortgage loans offered consist of conventional conforming and nonconforming loans, along with FHA and VA loans. Guardian is also a leader in construction, lot, investment and apartment loans. There are 15-, 20- and 30-year loan types, with all Guardian locations doing more than $800 million in mortgage loans last year alone.
The checking and savings accounts offered feature low minimum balance requirements, online and mobile access, and debit cards.
“We have an older way of doing business,” White said. “We’re not a full-service bank. We don’t have personal or auto loans. We’re more interested in our depositors than our residential lending. We’re not a fee-heavy bank; that’s not how we make our money. We are known for our specialty products and portfolio lending.”
With other locations in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Lexington, Guardian has been providing top-notch service for its customers since 1895. White sees a number of advantages expanding into Louisville.
“This side of Louisville is great,” White said. “It’s a beautiful area. People have interest in investing into us, once they become a customer, to make sure the bank succeeds. That isn’t coming from the staff. That’s coming from the customers. They have an excellent experience and can’t wait to tell others about it. Most of our business is referral-based.”
Interested customers can visit the branch to get started and be sure to receive personalized service.
“As a smaller bank, we maintain a more personal touch,” White said. “Customers can walk in and open a new account in about 10 minutes. It’s very easy to open accounts with us because we function a little differently. We do banking the way it used to be done. When you call a branch, you’re getting a real person. You get very personalized service when you call Guardian.”
