GB&T layoffs scheduled Aug. 8

ATLANTA - Sixty Gainesville Bank & Trust employees are being laid off as a result of the GB&T-SunTrust merger.

In a letter to Gainesville Mayor Myrtle Figueras, Melinda Schwartz, SunTrust Senior vice President, Human Relations, said all of those who are losing their jobs work at GB&T headquarters on Jesse Jewell Parkway in Gainesville.

"These layoffs result from the closing of the legacy GB&T Operations Center facility," Schwartz wrote.

SunTrust spokesman Michael McClure told AccessNorthGa.com that none of the employees are "front-line" workers - employees such as tellers, who have face-to-face daily contact with customers.

"We said all along we expected to eliminate some back-office operational positions and this is entirely consistent with that," McClure added.

Richard Hunt, president and CEO of GB&T Bancshares Inc., said in April avoiding layoffs among front-line workers will be accomplished by attrition and moving employees to branches that will remain open.

GB&T operates seven community banks around Georgia: Gainesville Bank & Trust, United Bank & Trust, Community Trust Bank, HomeTown Bank of Villa Rica, First National Bank of the South, First National Bank of Gwinnett and Mountain State Bank.

Also in April, GB&T and SunTrust announced that the following branches will be consolidated into nearby branches upon the conversion to SunTrust systems in late summer:

Gainesville Bank and Trust
2412 Old Cornelia Highway, Gainesville
475 Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville
500 Jesse Jewel Parkway, Gainesville
1210 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville

Hometown Bank
5875 Wendy Bagwell Parkway, Hiram

Community Trust Bank
3161 Cobb Parkway, Suite 100, Kennesaw,

United Bank and Trust
129 East Elm Street, Rockmart
2 North Dixie Ave., Cartersville

SunTrust
4190 Atlanta Highway, Bogart
725 N. Main St., Cedartown
6515 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth
1750 Powder Springs Road, Marietta
3626 Mundy Mill Rd., Gainesville