VIDALIA &045;&045; Tensas State Bank is scheduled to open its third branch by December and extend its coverage a little further into the Miss-Lou.

Work on the new Vidalia branch has been underway for about a month and a half now, and the bank will hopefully open on time, Assistant Branch Manager Priss Bryant said.

Bryant, who currently works at the Ferriday branch as an assistant cashier, will make the move to Vidalia when the building is complete.

The bank will move into a former tire mart on Carter Street once renovations are complete.

&uot;With the weather doing as well as it’s doing, hopefully we’ll be open in December,&uot; Bryant said. &uot;We are looking forward to it.&uot;

Tensas State Bank’s home office is in Newellton, La. There are branches in St. Joseph and Ferriday. The Newellton office was opened in 1922 by local businessmen.

The Ferriday branch, located on E.E. Wallace Boulevard, has been open since 1999.

President and CEO Skip Hawkins said laws prevent the bank from branching out into Natchez because it is a different state, but they are hoping to touch the Natchez market through Vidalia.

&uot;We consider that a market, the whole area,&uot; he said. &uot;We are coming there to be a part of that.&uot;

Though Bryant will transfer from one branch to the other, she said new hires will be needed in Vidalia.

Hawkins said two other bank personnel, Mark Miller and David Jones, would join the new staff. Miller currently lives in Vidalia but works in Newellton, while Jones works in Ferriday. The bank will be looking to hire three or four tellers and loan assistants initially, Hawkins said.

&uot;We offer friendly service,&uot; Bryant said. &uot;Hometown service that most people are looking for, instead of a bigger banking situation.&uot;