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Show i Banker's career spans three decades Modernization, adaptation and fiscal strength are the key words that have meant success for Ralph Firth, president and CEO of the First National Bank of Layton. Firth celebrated 30 years of employment at the bank on Jan. 1 8. His banking career started in the bookkeeping department soon after his graduation from the University of Utah. 'Everything was done by hand thirty years ago," Firth recalled. "The tellers didn't use adding machines. All calculating was done on slips of paper. As Firth moved up through the job structure at the bank, he con- tributed to the modernization of the operation. Today, the bank uses a computer system to track all transactions. trans-actions. This speeds up the management chores and gives competent com-petent personal service, a feature that allows the management to complete "quick draw" loans for construction projects. As president of one of the few independent banks in Utah, Firth says the bank has survived for 85 years by building on a strong capital stock. "We have double the capital stock that is required by law. We have paid consecutive dividends each year," Firth stated, "Our goal is to keep the earnings at a level where the shareholders have a good investment without taking from the depositors. We try to treat everyone fairly." As Layton has grown, so has the First National Bank. In 1980, its operations moved from the original bank building into the renovated Farmers Union building. Branch offices, located in important areas of Layton, help give better service to the customer and allow the First National Bank to compete effectively effec-tively with the 12 banks and five ATM (Automatic Teller Machines) that are operating in Layton. Today, the First National Bank employees 47 people and has a $1 million annual payroll. |