Mutual Bank, a community bank with nine branches throughout Southeastern Mass., will soon have a 10th location, and its second in its hometown of Whitman. Wet weather could not dampen the enthusiasm for the recent groundbreaking ceremony as Glen White, CEO of Mutual Bank, and members of the construction and design team dug in their shovels mid-morning in the presence of bank associates and friends to kick off the construction of their new, 5,600 s/f, two-story branch that is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2013. The latest Mutual Bank branch, to be located at 342 Bedford St., is at the intersection of Rtes 18 (Bedford St.) and 14 (Auburn St.), and will be "absolutely the right piece of the puzzle for this particular intersection of town," says Bob Curran, building commissioner for the town. White said, "We are delighted to expand our presence in our hometown of Whitman. Our goal is to offer even greater convenience for our Whitman current customers, and serve a wider market that travels the two busy commuter corridor that meet here." The Bank's main branch at 570 Washington St., the first location in town, will also remain open and an active part of the town's downtown. Mutual Bank is working with Kurt Raber, of Brown Lindquist Fenuccio & Raber Architects, Inc. of Yarmouthport, and the contractor for the project will be Coastal Construction Corp. of Duxbury. Curran said, "The town of Whitman is excited about the Mutual Bank project, and it's great to see another local business that will call this site home." The first floor of the new Mutual Bank location will be a full service banking center, offering a full range of services for personal and business banking, and local lending specialists making local loans to individuals and businesses. The location will employ 15 or more full and part time employees, including lending offices on the second floor above the branch. The bank opened its first location in 1877. Its most recent branches opened in Middleboro in 2007, and Plymouth in 2008. Mutual Bank is an independent community bank serving consumer and business customers through nine branch offices in southeastern Mass. Shown (from left) are: Bill Hurley, construction supervisor, Coastal Construction; Glen White, CEO, Mutual Bank; Kurt Raber, architect, Brown Lindquist Fenuccio and Raber Architects; and Peter Charlonne, project manager, Coastal Construction.