The original site of Kitsap County Bank on the corner of Bay and Frederick Streets in Port Orchard

Seattle financier Jacob Firth and three Port Orchard men, George E. Miller, Peter Nordby and Superior Court Judge John B. Yakey met in the late spring of 1908 to organize the Kitsap County Bank. Peter Nordby was elected the bank’s first President at the meeting.

In August of that year, the Bank opened for business in a small concrete building on the corner of Bay and Frederick Streets in downtown Port Orchard.

Peter Nordby served as president of the institution from 1908 to 1915. Thomas Ross took the helm from Nordby and ran the bank for another six years. Otto Strizik was elected President in 1921 and served until 1930.

In 1914, while visiting the Puget Sound area, North Dakota resident Frank Langer fell in love with the area and vowed to return when he had completed his schooling. Langer was the son of a pioneer farmer, banker and legislator, and brother of the United States Senator and three-term governor of North Dakota, William Langer.

After graduation from Harvard Law School, he returned to enter the banking business under the tutelage of Strizik, who

Kitsap Bank’s headquarters on Bay Street before moving into its current waterfront location adjacent to Port Orchard Marina. The site houses a restaurant and a gift shop today.

Arriving back from World War I as a Purple Heart veteran, Langer eventually purchased controlling interest from Strizik in both Kitsap County Bank and the First National Bank of Poulsbo. At the same time, he met, fell in love with and married, Hannah Norum, whose father was director of the Poulsbo Bank.

Langer became President of Kitsap Bank during difficult times. The Great Depression of the 30s gripped the country, but he successfully guided the bank through it and demanding war years in the 1940s — a time of great growth in Kitsap County due to PSNS.

Langer served for 22 years until his death in 1952. With Frank’s passing, Hannah Langer was at a crossroads. She was encouraged to sell the bank, but came to a final decision not to, and was elected by the directors as the fifth President of Kitsap Bank, becoming the first women bank president west of the Mississippi River.

Hannah Langer remained President for over 20 years, and later served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In 1986 she stepped down as Chairman, turning the leadership over to her daughter Helen Langer-Smith.

Don Rickett had worked his way up through the bank, serving in a number of positions, and was named President in 1972. He retired in 1985 and former bank examiner Jim Carmichael was selected to run the bank.

In the 1960s and 70s many of the larger, Seattle banks took notice of the economic and population growth here and began establishing branches. Kitsap Bank, determined to keep its market share, began establishing additional branches as well.

The 1970s were tremendous growth years for Kitsap Bank. The Silverdale, Gorst, and Bainbridge Island branches were opened. But the bank scored a real coup by establishing a branch inside the gates of the new Bangor Submarine Base. The Bangor branch was opened at the same time the bank moved its main office from the original site in Port Orchard to its current waterfront location.

In the 1980s were exciting years as the expansion continued. Two thrift branches in Bremerton and Poulsbo were purchased and branches opened at South Kitsap Mall, Kingston, and at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The Bank also started a Mortgage Company (Kitsap Mortgage Company) in Silverdale and changed its name to “Kitsap Bank” dropping the word “County” from the name.

In the early nineties, under Carmichael’s leadership, Kitsap Bank grew over 70 percent, with assets reaching $300 million. In 1993 the bank expanded beyond Kitsap County by opening a branch in Gig Harbor. It also expanded into Clallam and Mason counties, opening the first branches called “Olympic Bank” in Port Angeles and a Kitsap Bank branch in Belfair, in 1995. The Sequim office of Olympic Bank was opened in 1996.

The bank opened a Small Business Loan (SBA) Dept. in September of 1995. The phenomenal success of that department has benefited the entire community as it has funded over $65 million in loans to local businesses to date. The SBA Department has been honored with national awards from the SBA, including kudos for Manager Scott Harvey, who was granted The National Small Business Advocate for 1998. He traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the award from Vice-President Al Gore.

In 1997 the bank acquired the National Bank of Bremerton which increased assets to over $400 million and added an additional branches in Bremerton, Sheridan Village, and Allyn.

The opening of the Central Kitsap branch in March 1997, and Bethel and Lund and West Bremerton branches in 1999, brought the bank’s total number of branches to 19, making it by far the largest bank in Kitsap County.

More expansion occurred during 1999 as Kitsap Bank expanded outside of Kitsap County again by opening Olympic Bank and Mortgage offices in Bonney Lake in Pierce County, and Federal Way in King County. The offices are presently for approving and processing loans only.

Hannah Langer peacefully passed away in January 1999 at the age of 95. Right up to the time of her death, she remained socially active and participated as Vice-Chairman of the Board at the bank. The staff and community members genuinely loved her and there are many fond memories of her sweet disposition and generosity. She is truly missed.

Throughout the pioneer years, the expansion years and until today, excellent customer service and courtesy has forged a strong partnership between Kitsap Bank and its customers. It is because of this unique history that spans over 91 years of commitment to customer service that Kitsap Bank has become the unique community bank it is.

Today, there are 25 locations in five counties, over three dozen ATMs, four mortgage offices, one of the most active SBA Loan Departments in the nation, and a web site that includes on-line banking.

Perhaps President Jim Carmichael summed up the bank’s philosophy best. “We work hard to be what a community bank should be — locally owned, responsive to our customers and their needs, progressive and involved in the communities where we do business. A lot of banks have come and gone, but we’ve been here for 91 years. We’re not going anywhere.”