For the past six months, employees of One Valley Bank in Clarksburg have undergone extensive training.
They learned new computer software, new paperwork and new ways of doing things.
Monday, they put that training to use as the bank changed ownership to become BB&T.
"It's going fantastically," said Larry Mazza, regional retail manager for BB&T. "It's going as smoothly as it can go."
BB&T completed its acquisition of Charleston-based One Valley Bancorp July 7, 2000. The $1.13 billion transaction included $6.6 billion in One Valley assets.
One Valley had nine community banks and 118 branches, including 78 in West Virginia and 40 in Virginia.
All One Valley locations became BB&T branches Monday morning. The staff at the Clarksburg office was well prepared for the transition, Mazza said.
"We sent out a lot of pre-emptive letters to our clientele," he said. "We have gotten some calls, but nothing overwhelming."
Some problems with automatic teller machines that occurred Monday were not related to the change, Mazza said. Those cases were just normal breakdowns that happened to coincide with the transition, he said.
Officials from other BB&T locations were present at the Clarksburg branch Monday to help with any problems that might arise from the new computer systems, software, paperwork or procedures, Mazza said.
They were on hand to answer any questions staffers at the bank might have, he said.
The bank has undergone a lot of changes, most of which should not be noticeable to customers, Mazza said.
"Customers will see no difference," he said. "The only change they will see is the signs. The people here are the same."
BB&T is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., and has $56.7 billion in assets. It operates 822 banking offices in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky and Washington D.C.
Staff writer Paul Darst can be reached at 626-1404 or by e-mail at pdarst@exponent-telegram.com.
