Washington Federal will mark 100 years

This month, Washington Federal bank will be marking its 100th anniversary. The bank was first established in 1917 in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood by two brothers, W. C. Kean and Frank C. Kean.

The bank was founded as Ballard Savings & Loan.

According to a written history of the bank, the Kean brothers wanted to better the community by offering steady, practical loans to help their neighbors achieve the dream of owning their own homes.

Kay Riebold, branch manager in Colfax, said it is great to be able to mark this milestone.

“We're excited to celebrate Washington Federal's first 100 years in banking with our Colfax neighbors. This event is our chance to say 'thank you' to the community for their support and trust,” she said. “Throughout changing economies, Washington Federal has been committed to offering sound and safe banking. My team and I are honored to help continue to make Colfax a great place to live and do business.”

Washington Federal opened in Colfax on Dec. 6, 2013, after the bank purchased the space formerly occupied by Bank of America on Main Street. At the same time, Washington Federal came to Pullman, with the bank also purchasing a former Bank of America site there.

“What they did was they bought 50 some Bank of America branches back then,” said Riebold. “I don't think a lot of people here knew about Washington Federal when we first came to town because it had mostly been on the west side.”

Today, Washington Federal operates 238 branches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico, with the company reporting $14.9 billion in assets, $10.6 billion in deposits and $2 billion in stockholders' equity at the end of 2016.

Riebold said there will be local events at the bank to mark the centennial.

Beginning April 17 and continuing through April 21, the bank here will have popcorn daily and take entries for door prizes. On Monday, April 24, there will be food and beverages, and drawings for the door prizes will occur.

The celebration on April 24 will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the bank.