Inside Huntington Bank’s Plan To Accelerate Carolinas expansion
NANCY KUEHN | MSPBJ
By Symone Graham – Staff Writer, Charlotte Business Journal
Huntington National Bank (NASDAQ: HBAN) is moving multiple years ahead of schedule in its Carolinas expansion.
Huntington Bank, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, initially announced plans last year to add 350 employees and open 55 branches across the Carolinas by 2029. The bank is now aiming to complete the expansion by 2027.
“We have pulled what was a five-year investment plan into three years,” Brant Standridge, Huntington’s president of consumer and regional banking, told CBJ. “2025 will be a big year, but 2026 will be a substantial year. We’ll open more than 20 locations in 2026, and we’ll do the same thing in 2027.”
Several of Huntington’s planned 55 branches are expected to open this year. The bank’s first South Carolina location will launch in Spartanburg on May 2, followed by its first North Carolina branch in Charlotte’s SouthPark on May 12. A branch in South End is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter, with additional locations planned in Charleston, Winston-Salem and Greenville by year end, Standridge said.
The bank’s rapid buildout stems from what Standridge describes as a rare alignment of talent, timing and opportunity.
“There is a massive opportunity,” he said. “The Charlotte metro area and specifically the Carolinas are growing incredibly fast, and that in itself creates quite an opportunity. We’ve been able to attract some really fantastic people, and the early success has given us the confidence to actually pull our plans in and go faster.”
Huntington is entering a competitive local market dominated by financial institutions like Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). But Standridge believes Huntington’s formula — localized leadership and relationship-driven banking — will carve out its niche.
“We believe that if we deliver on our promise, if we put customers at the center, if we invest to be a part of the community, that the community will respond to that,” he said.
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