The Wilmington market will soon see the emergence of another community bank, as Sound Bank prepares to open its first full-service branch here.

Sound Bank, headquartered in Morehead City, first opened a loan production office in Wilmington last January and named Mark Johnson as its market executive. In June, the office moved to larger quarters at 1131-C Military Cutoff Road in The Forum shopping center and announced that it had applied to the FDIC for approval to open a full-service branch at the same location.

That approval has come through.

The branch's interior remodel will be complete and staff on duty as of Monday, but the official opening will not take place until Jan. 19, Johnson said Thursday.

Joining Johnson at the new branch are Audrey Christie, the branch manager, and customer service professionals Dalla Twaro and Korin McPeek. All have considerable banking experience, and Christie has worked for Sound Bank for three years, according to a news release.

The new branch has a small lobby and teller area and has devoted most of its space to offices and meeting rooms.

“We wanted privacy,” Johnson said, explaining that customers should feel comfortable coming in to discuss their needs or to “just talk."

“Most banks are perceived as very institutional. Our approach is that we’re different. We want a comfortable environment with a coastal feel, because we’re a coastal bank,” he said. “We’re just small enough that we can be flexible and not process driven. We listen to specific situations and if we can find a way to make a loan or meet needs – if it makes sense, we do it.”

Sound Bank’s other full-service locations in North Carolina, in addition to its Morehead City headquarters, are in Beaufort, Cedar Point and New Bern. A loan production office is located in Jacksonville. The bank’s current assets total more than $165 million, according to the release.