Germantown Trust & Savings Bank (GTSB) is a business name that has long been synonymous with Clinton County. The bank, a fixture in the community for 117 years, weathered the Great Depression and every recession of the 20th and 21st centuries. It has overcome multiple changes in ownership and conquered any fiscal, operational or human resources hurdle that has challenged them since 1906.

Many business practices have been attributed to the success of GTSB over the years, Bank president and CEO, Dale Deiters, has been quoted as a cautious lender, telling the St. Louis Business Journal in 2017 that “finance companies are notorious for making risky loans [but he learned that the best loans are the loans that are collectible.” The bank also has an uncanny ability to retain employees. Half of its 45 employees have a tenure of 15 or more years with the company with several employees in their fourth decade of service.

Bank Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Jim Lampe, credits a forward-thinking mindset to much of their success. Adapting to technological changes in an ever-evolving digital world is a top priority for GTSB
“We want to provide the best service to our customers so they can make faster payments and transactions,” said Lampe. “We have evolved our services over the years from batic banking products (eg, checking and savings), to include more advanced services such as ACH transactions, digital banking, and real-time payments. When technology progresses, we aim to expand our services to stay relevant in the marketplace and match the demands of our customers.

In January 2021, GTSB was one of only -200 banks in the US to begin accepting real-time
payments through The Clearing House Real Time Payments Network, the most modern payment infrastructure in the world. As the Fed prepares to roll out their FedNow service, which is comparable to a public version of the popular cash app, Venmo, GTSB is preparing to offer these additional services to their customers as well.

“Eventually, customers will be able to use their bank to make instant payments,” said Lampe.
Perhaps the most notable and easiest to overlook key to GTSB’s success is their commitment to old-school values like building and maintaining relationships. After all, banking is a relationship driven business, and this is a bank that knows its customers.

“We are dedicated to Clinton County, stated Lampe, “And we want to stay true to our roots.” Those roots are tellers and loan officers that live locally.

“They could be your neighbor, fellow parishioner, or their kids go to school with your kids, continued Lampe, “We want our employees to understand you and your lifestyle. so that we can better serve you.”
GTSB is proud to call Clinton County home. The bank serves the entire county with four locations in Breese, Germantown, Bartelso and Beckermeyer, and they aren’t necessarily looking to expand beyond county borders,

“We are embedded in this community, and the bank has grown with this community. Our board members and employees grew up with our customers. We are connected to these people, and we are dedicated to staying independent, maintaining that small-town service, and providing hassle-free banking for local families and businesses, continued Lampe.

GTSB celebrates their customers every April during Community Banking Week. This year, the event entitled, “Moving Forward Together” takes place April 2nd-8th. GTSB will be purchasing $10 gift certificates from local businesses to help promote and celebrate Clinton County and the people and businesses that make it a great place to live. Customers can register at any of the four GTSB locations in the drive-thru or by stopping in the lobby. Names will be drawn at the end of the week. For those who come inside the lobby, there will also be a contest available to kids only, and if you follow their Facebook page there will be another contest offering a chance to win Breese Chamber Bucks.

Germantown Trust & Savings Bank offers complete banking and trust services. Its Board is currently composed of Dale Deiters, James (lim) Lampe II, Jan Deiters, Floyd Trame and Alan Timmermann, James R. Stix Lampe, Jim and Jan’s father, is serving his 60th year at the bank. Stix visits his Germantown office daily in his current role as Director Ementus.

For more information about GTSB or Community Banking Week call one of their four local branches or visit gtsb.com.

* This is reprinted from the “Neighbor of Clinton County Magazine”, April 2023, Page 8