news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Greensboro-based NewBridge Bank plans to build four new branches and close seven others in an attempt to raise its visibility and consolidate operations in those markets.

The bank said Thursday that it will invest $5 million in the plan, which could result in an unspecified number of job cuts.

NewBridge must give 90 days notice before it closes any branch, said Jillian Gibson, a NewBridge vice president and marketing director , so some employees may choose to leave on their own.

Others might find open positions at the bank now or positions to be added at the new branches in the coming months.

The new branches will be in Greensboro, Forsyth County, Thomasville and Lexington.

Many NewBridge branches are in locations where traffic or residential patterns have changed, and the bank wants to move to better locations and shift its marketing strategy.

Here are the planned changes:

• In Greensboro, it is completing construction of its new office at Center Pointe downtown. The Center Pointe office will open in December.
• In Forsyth County, the bank will close its Sherwood Plaza and Rural Hall offices and is looking for a new site.
•  In Lexington, the bank will build a branch at the intersection of Cotton Grove Road and Lowes Boulevard . It will close the Talbert, Westside and South Lexington offices .
• In Thomasville, the bank is building a new office on Randolph Street , next to its current office. It will donate the older building to the Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce .
• It will close its Pennrose express office in Rockingham County but keep its four other offices in the county.

After the changes, NewBridge will have 34 offices located in North Carolina and Virginia.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com