Who We Are

High Country Bank's mission is to Strengthen our communities, Help our neighbors, Promote career growth and development of our employees, and Reward our stakeholders.

On October 27, 1886, an organization meeting of citizens of Chaffee County Colorado was held for the purpose of organizing a Building and Loan Association.  Mr. J. B. Randall was elected Chairman and W.W. Roller was elected Secretary of the Committee to proceed working on a charter.  There were nine directors elected from the shareholders present at a meeting held on November 4, 1886, and so was the beginning of High Country Bank.  The original bank was called the Chaffee County Bank before forming a Building Society and chartering Salida Building & Loan Association. 

In 1937, the Association applied for and was granted the right to insure savings accounts by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation and became a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka. 

One of our earliest locations was at 132 F Street, Salida, however in 1971 the association purchased the property where the Downtown office is now located.  Construction of the new facility started in November of 1973 and was completed and occupied in June of 1974. 

In December of 1997, the institution converted from a locally owned institution to a public stock owned institution and is still traded under the ticker symbol HCBC.   On February 15, 2000, to better reflect the areas we serve, our name was officially changed to High Country Bank.  

In April of 1999, the Bank started construction on a new bank building on Highway 50, in Salida and was completed and occupied in April of 2000.  It is presently the home office of the Bank.   The Downtown branch still operates out of the 130 W. 2^nd location.   In 1996 the Bank opened a branch in Buena Vista, Colorado and subsequently built our current full service branch facility at 516 Hwy 24 North, Buena Vista, Colorado.   In September of 2001, the Bank opened a loan production office in Cañon City, Colorado, and in July of 2005, a new building was remodeled and completed for our full service branch in Cañon City at our current location of 150 N. Raynolds Avenue.

On April 1, 2009, we converted our Bank from an Office of Thrift Supervision regulated Federal Thrift Charter to a Colorado State Charter, Federal Reserve Member Commercial Bank. Visit https://www.federalreserve.gov/ to contact the Federal Reserve, our primary federal regulator.

On Novemeber 23, 2020, we opened a new branch in Longmont, Colorado. This full service branch is located in Downtown Longmont in South Main Station. Like all of High Country Banks, our dedicated staff is here to serve the people of our community with all of their financial needs! 

High Country Bank is the largest financier of real estate loans in Chaffee County and continues to make a significant impact on the surrounding counties.  

Community support is high on the list of priorities of the Bank.  Last year, we donated over $100,000 in support to local organizations, non-profits, and schools.  Some of the organizations that we proudly support include Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, Neighbor to Neighbor, Boys and Girls Club, Alliance Against Domestic Abuse, Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Ark-Valley Humane Society, Salida Mountain Trails, and many more.

High Country Bank offers a full service of loan products, including business, construction, residential real estate, and consumer loans.  All decisions are made locally at High Country Bank.  While HCB remains a community bank, we offer many of the same services that big city financial institutions offer, including a Save As You Spend Account, online banking, bill pay through the internet, mobile deposit, person to person, and e-statements.  

High Country Bank employs almost 100 people and has five locations.  Directors include Tim Glenn, Pete Cordova, Rich Young, Rich Edgington, and Niki Stotler. We are a member of the American Banking Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, and Independent Bankers of Colorado.  We are also proud members of the Salida Rotary, the local Chamber of Commerce, and the Salida Business Alliance.