1 Los Alamos National Bank
301 Griffin St., 954-5400
2009 Galisteo St., 988-3200
(a third location will be open at Vegas Verdes and Cerrillos Road before 2010)
Plenty of people are happy to complain about their banks. Hidden fees, arcane policies, uptight tellers, ghoulish loan officers—the list goes on. But customers of Los Alamos National Bank just get a stupid smile on their faces when asked where they keep their cash. (When I refinanced my ramshackle adobe house last year, the estimator told me I would’ve gotten a higher value on my house if I’d used LANB.)

Maybe it has something to do with LANB being on the front lines of charitable giving in Santa Fe or maybe it’s the pioneering way in which the bank has prioritized (in partnership with Homewise) ensuring its own employees can buy a home in Santa Fe. Maybe it’s because LANB has the only debit and credit cards that automatically count toward Santa Fe’s Local’s Care “buy local” program. Senior Vice President Fidel Gutierrez says it’s about building loyalty through good service. “We opened our first bank in Santa Fe in 1999,” he says. “To be recognized as the ‘Best Bank or Credit Union in Santa Fe’ for four years in a row reflects that we have firmly established our presence in the Santa Fe community.” Gutierrez isn’t wrong.

With a new—and formidably sized—location under construction on the Southside, LANB will soon have the geographic presence to match its considerable community buy-in. Gutierrez is proud of the service and support LANB offers, but says it’s a two-way street: “We are grateful to have such loyal customers.”

2 First National Bank of Santa Fe, 62 Lincoln Ave. (main branch), 505-992-2000

3 Wells Fargo Bank, 241 Washington Ave. (main branch), 505-984-0500