Oct. 15. Albemarle-based Uwharrie Bank plans to expand into Mecklenburg County with residential mortgage lending, commercial lending and wealth management services. Uwharrie has operations in Anson County and Stanly County, as well as  Cabarrus, where it formerly operated as Cabarrus Bank & Trust.

Uhwharrie is opening Charlotte office at 141 Providence Road for its residential mortgage operations. The bank has also hired Charles Myers, formerly president and owner of Myers Park Mortgage, to run Uwharrie Bank Mortgage. He grew Myers Park to nearly $1 billion in annual mortgage production.  

“The Charlotte/Mecklenburg market is a natural progression for our company considering the bank’s current footprint in Anson, Stanly and Cabarrus counties,” said Roger Dick, president & CEO of Uwharrie Capital Corp, parent of Uwharrie Bank.  

“Uwharrie Bank is extremely community-oriented, and we’re building like-minded teams in Charlotte that match our emphasis on personal relationships and high client satisfaction.  Charles exemplifies our commitment to making a difference and we are very pleased to have him lead our residential mortgage business.”

In September 2013, Uwharrie consolidated its three community banks into one and renamed the combined company Uwharrie Bank.  “The consolidation allows us to better brand and market our offerings and high-service commitment more efficiently,” said Brendan Duffey, Chief Operating Officer of Uwharrie Capital and president of Uwharrie Bank.  “We are excited to enter the Charlotte market more directly and are bringing very experienced local lending and wealth management teams to help individuals and businesses find the best advice and products possible for their particular situation.  Charlotte presents a great opportunity for us to deepen customer relationships by offering Uwharrie’s extensive mix of products, state-of-the-art technology, and services to our existing and new customers.”

Augmenting existing personnel, Uwharrie Bank will selectively hire key personnel from the region’s strong pool of financial services talent in residential mortgage lending, commercial lending and wealth management in continuing its commitment to the central Carolina market through its growth initiatives.  Uwharrie Bank has engaged Randy Helton of Helton Advisors to assist in its expansion efforts in the Charlotte region.