Bank Iowa plans to open its latest branch in the metro this week as part of its strategy to expand its brick-and-mortar presence statewide.

The expansion comes as Bank Iowa, with $2 billion in assets, works to meet the demand for in-person banking services despite the growth of digital banking, said TJ Hodges, community bank president.

The bank’s newest location is at 5580 Merle Hay Road in Johnston, relocating from its previous location at 5525 Merle Hay Road. That branch closed on Oct. 11, according to the bank’s website.

A grand-opening celebration for the new site is planned for 4-6 p.m. Thursday.

It’s the latest of Bank Iowa’s 20 locations to open across the state, with another planned for Clear Lake in 2025, bank leaders said in a news release.

Previously, Bank Iowa opened a new location in Pella in 2017 and a new location in Clarinda in 2020. The bank is currently undergoing a remodel of its Oskaloosa branch.

In the release, Hodges said Bank Iowa is active in the communities it serves, including involvement in sponsorship of school activities.

“Presence in a community is about more than building or operating a physical location in a certain area,” he said. “Bank Iowa team members fully immerse themselves in the towns we call home.”

John Rathjen, Bank Iowa regional president, said face-to-face interactions are important to customer relations and to help businesses thrive.

“There’s a tendency to think this is truer in rural Iowa, but we continue to operate bustling branches in the Des Moines suburbs and several other well-populated cities,” he said in the release. “The pandemic definitely accelerated digital banking, but money remains a personal pursuit. People like to see and know the humans behind the machines who are safeguarding their hard-earned dollars and providing the services they need to build wealth.”