Carpenter celebrating 45 years with Home Loan Savings Bank
COSHOCTON – On Oct. 26, 1971, Carpenter started with The Home Loan Savings Bank shortly after graduating from River View High School. Carpenter started with the bank as a teller and is now Assistant Vice President.
She started working at The Sweet Shop in Roscoe Village in 1969. “Mr. Karl Sherrets at the bank called me to come in for an interview I stated I had to wear my Sweet Shop uniform because I had to be at work at 10,” she said. “I came in wearing my pink dress, was hired, and started the next Monday.”
When Carpenter first started with The Home Loan Savings Bank, it only offered three services.
“We did passbook savings, certificates of deposit, and home loans,” she said. “There were no checking accounts or auto loans. We wanted to help people in the community finance homes, but later on we got into all the other banking services and now we are the only locally owned bank in Coshocton.”
Carpenter has been fortunate enough to watch the bank change with the times and help generations of families work toward their financial goals. On Oct. 26, she celebrated her 45th anniversary with the bank.
“I grew up with the bank,” Carpenter said. “We used to calculate interest on loans, savings accounts, and certificates by hand and every January and July the interest was added to the accounts. Then we went from pencil and paper to the in-house computer, and now online.”
Her role at the bank also has changed over the years. In 1989, Carpenter was named manager of the first branch office when it opened at the corner of Walnut Street and Sixth Street.
“The branch was really a busy office,” she said. “We didn’t know if it would be, but it was. I wasn’t really sure about being the manager, but Robert Hamilton (president of Home Loan at that time) had faith in me and I had a good staff that assisted me in getting the branch running.”
Carpenter came back to the main office in 2006 after MaryAnn Carpenter retired.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the public,” Paula said. “Every day is a challenge. You don’t have the same routine all the time and your customers become extended family and friends. I’ve worked with parents, grandparents, and grandchildren.”
One of the most satisfying parts of the job is seeing people purchase the home of their dreams and the joy they have making their final payment.
“I tell them when they start, 30 years may seem like a long time, but I’ve seen the satisfaction when the last payment is made,” Paula said. “The loan doesn’t last forever.”
In honor of Carpenter, the Home Loan Savings Bank is having an Open House to thank her for her 45 years of service to the bank.
“I told them they didn’t need to do this, but it’s a nice honor,” she said.
The open house in Carpenter’s honor will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the bank’s main office located at 413 Main St. Friends and customers, both current and past, are invited to stop in to congratulate Paula and share in a light lunch.
Category: Business
