TD Bank to close Laconia branch; Gilford office will remain open

LACONIA — TD Bank. N.A. will close its branch office at 277 Union Avenue on Normandin Square in February, 2013 and consolidate its local operations at its branch office at 1402 Lake Shore Road in Gilford. N

The company leases its space on Union Avenue, which is just two-and-a-half miles from the office it built on the former site of Nadia's Trattoria that opened in 2009. At the time the bank closed an office it operated at the Hannaford supermarket in the nearby Walmart Plaza.

Jimmy Hernandez, a spokesman for TD Bank, said that seven employees would be affected by the closure, stressing that efforts are underway to place them all in other positions with the company. He said that there are currently four open positrons and anticipated other opportunities would arise before the branch office is closed.

Hernandez emphasized that the closure would be marked by a smooth transition with not interruption of services to banking customers.

TD Bank, a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, is among the 10 largest banks in the United States. Headquartered in Portland, Maine and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the company operates 1,312 "stores," as it calls its offices, in 15 states from Florida to Maine, in including 69 in New Hampshire.

Originally built in 1887, the brick and masonry building at 277 Union Avenue served as a school associated with Sacred Heart Catholic Parish for many years before was converted to commercial use. It is currently owned by the George L. Rogers Trust. The building and three-acre lot is assessed at $1,238,000.