Golden Belt Bank, FSA - About Us - Our Bank

Message from the President

Our mission is to have a positive impact on the story of every person and every community we serve. We’ve done it by getting to know your story – even becoming a small part of it. By getting to know the stories of the people and communities we serve, we get to find out what matters most, what is important to our customers.

At Golden Belt Bank, we take great pride in delivering our products in the manner our customer wants them. We strive to establish long-term relationships with our customers and our community. Every day, we get to help write the story. Because we believe one successful story builds one successful family, one successful business, one successful community and one successful bank.

The loyalty and integrity of our people are the heart of this great organization. We are more than just a bank. We stand for a community that embraces connections and serves from the heart. We like to be generous with our skills, talents and resources, knowing that we are all part of the very same story.

This is how we do banking one story at a time.

Christopher Wente

President and CEO

Golden Belt Bank, F.S.A.

History

Golden Belt Bank opened its doors as a state chartered savings and loan on January 20, 1920, with an office located in Ellis, Kansas.

We have been locally owned since our very beginning. The J.W. Nicholson Family opened the savings and loan, and at that time their local ties extended to the lumberyard and another local bank in Ellis, Kansas.

When the Nicholson family sold their interest in Golden Belt Bank in 1972, it was to local investors with established community roots, maintaining the local ownership that still stands today. At that time, its assets totaled only $4 million.

A series of expansions followed with three additional branches being opened, which marked Golden Belt Bank's entrance into the Hays community.

At the same time, Western Plains Service Corporation, a subsidiary wholly-owned by Golden Belt Bank was organized. The subsidiary's mission was to develop land in the Hays and Ellis communities, providing single family lots where residents could build a home.

In 1974, Ronald Wente was named the President/CEO of Golden Belt Bank. He has served in that position now for over 42 years, dedicating his banking career to ensuring the strength and stability of Golden Belt Bank to the customers we serve.

During the notorious savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, over 1,000 savings and loan associations were closed, but Golden Belt Bank remained strong and focused on providing opportunities for home ownership.

In the early 80s, Golden Belt Bank opened brand new facilities at their Ellis, Hays, and Hill City locations.

Our growth along with our desire to better serve our customers resulted in additional expansions to our Hays facility in 1993 and again in 2005. The current, 18,708 sq. ft., facility provides ample space for the support staff necessary to properly serve our customers, especially as technology has involved and become an integral part of the banking experience.

In 2008, while a banking crisis swept the nation, Golden Belt Bank stood strong and continued to provide the products and services our community counts on.

Currently, Golden Belt Bank has approximately $300 million in assets in addition to servicing more than $200 million in home loans. Despite the inevitable ups and downs of our community and our nation, we will remain strong. Throughout our history, we have proven how strong our ties are to the communities we serve. That's why we maintain local decision making, local servicing of all of our loans and support our local community.

Home

Sometimes home truly is where the heart is and at Golden Belt Bank we take great pride in our home, Ellis County. We wanted to take a minute and tell you about our home and some of the things that make it great.

Ellis County, Kansas, founded in 1867, is conveniently located midway between Denver, Colorado and Kansas City, Kansas. Shaped by a vibrant past, abundant natural resources and strong local institutions, Ellis County now benefits from a modern regional economy, lively civic networks, shared values and great potential for further economic development. Ellis County sprawls out over 9,000 square miles of wide-open prairie and golden wheat fields and has a population of nearly 28,000 friendly, welcoming people. Nestled along I-70 are the cities of Ellis and Hays.

Ellis offers several small town amenities including the Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home, Railroad Museum, excellent private and public schools, abundant employment opportunities and affordable housing.

Hays is the county seat and largest city in Northwest Kansas and it offers many opportunities and attractions all with small town friendliness. These charming opportunities include: The Bricks in Downtown Hays, Historic Fort Hays, Sternberg Museum, Fort Hays State University, Hays Medical Center, unique shopping destinations, public and private schools and many other exciting features. Whether you are visiting, passing through or living in Ellis County, you will be sure to find something interesting.