As one Bellefonte bank closes, another prepares to open. Here’s what we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Reliance Bank will open a Bellefonte branch in 2026, the company announced.
- The new bank will open at 801 E. Bishop St. in the former home of Bellefonte’s PNC Bank.
- After Bellefonte’s PNC Bank closed, customers must travel to State College or use ATMs.
An Altoona-headquartered banking company plans to open a location in Bellefonte next year.
Reliance Bank intends to open a Bellefonte branch at 801 E. Bishop St. in early 2026, the company announced Wednesday. Pending regulatory approval, the bank would open on the same site formerly occupied by Bellefonte’s only PNC Bank.
Bellefonte’s Reliance Bank would mark the company’s ninth branch, all of which are located in central Pennsylvania. After opening a State College branch more than 20 years ago, Reliance Bank officials said Centre County remained a key target for expansion.
“Centre County is experiencing a great deal of growth, and it’s important that we’re there for existing and prospective customers and their evolving needs,” Phil Freeman, Reliance Bank’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We have been specifically asked to add a branch in Bellefonte, and we’re thrilled to be delivering on that now.”
Though Reliance Bank did not provide a specific timeline for opening its Bellefonte branch next year, preparations at the site are already underway.
The Bellefonte site was listed as one of 67 former PNC Bank facilities across the U.S. available for sale as recently as Sept. 23, according to PNC Realty Services. The property, listed in the report as “under contract” for $550,000, included 0.35 acres of land, the 2,304-square-foot building constructed in 1988 and nine parking spaces.
Both PNC Bank and Michael Baker of PKA Realty Advisors & Brokerage, the leasing agent attached to the property, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Centre Daily Times.
Following PNC Bank’s sudden closure in Bellefonte, customers in the area must travel to one of four sites in State College to visit a proper PNC branch. Dozens of PNC ATMs are available in Centre County at convenience stores and gas stations.
%202.JPG)