Submitted by Bennington State Bank
The Berkley Family joined a prestigious list of recipients for the Century of Family Banking award. The Kansas Bankers Association presents the award to those families who have served in the banking industry for 100 years.
The family’s banking legacy has its roots at The Bank of Tescott with Howard Jackson (H.J.) Berkley. Beginning as a cashier and janitor, he ultimately became president of the bank and worked there from 1924 until his passing in 1969.
This began a long association with banks across the state, carried on by HJ and his wife Pauline’s eight children: Arliene, Jack Belmont, Robert, Jerry, Paul, Hal, Don, and Mike. HJ also convinced his brother Bob Berkley, Mark Berkley’s father, to leave the farm and join him at the Bank of Tescott.
The Bank of Tescott has since seen generations of Berkleys employed at its institution, beginning with the eight siblings. Jack Belmont Berkley worked there for eight years, Hal Berkley was both president of the bank and served on its board of directors, and Arliene Matthews worked as a teller and was a director of the bank for over thirty years. Today, Hal’s granddaughter, Megan Berkley, works at the institution’s Tescott location.
“Since I started in 1969, our deposits grew from about 6.5 million to 450 million. Our employees grew from about a seven person staff to 60 plus employees,” said Mark Berkley, director emeritus at The Bank of Tescott. “And we now have five banking offices in four counties. We stress excellence in service in addition to promoting our local community.”
Bennington State Bank has belonged to the Berkleys since 1945. In 1967, all eight siblings purchased it from their uncles, and Mike Berkley became president. Mike Berkley spent his entire career at Bennington State and still serves as Chairman of the Board. Mike’s nephew, Burke Matthews, HJ Berkley’s grandson, started working at the Bennington State Bank in the 1980s. Burke Matthews later became president and is currently president emeritus.
“I think my parents taught us all a work ethic and a very strong belief that everybody was kind of equal in life and there's no favorites,” said Mike Berkley, Chairman of the Board at Bennington State Bank. “And we treated everybody the same, and we treated each other the same. And I believe mom and dad set that example for us.”
The Berkleys are involved in five different banking institutions across Kansas.
Bennington State Bank has become one of Kansas' largest private banking institutions, with over $950 million in assets under management and a Trust department that manages over $500 million. Bennington State Bank has ten locations throughout the state, all dedicated to high-level customer service and giving back to their communities—a trend carried on by all other Berkley-affiliated banks.
Solutions North, formerly Stockton National Bank, was purchased by H.J. and two of his sons, Jack Belmont Berkley and Robert Berkley, in 1961. Jack Belmont Berkley was president and director of the bank until his passing in 1998. Now, it carries over $270 million in assets and has expanded to six locations. Brian J. Berkley and Jonathan D. Berkley—both great-grandsons of H.J. Berkley—serve on the board of directors and work at the bank.
Three generations of the Berkley Family have been part of the State Bank of Downs, which oversees over $130 million in assets. It was purchased by the Berkley sons in 1961 and run by Paul Berkley and Jerry Berkley. Both men retired in the 90’s. Paul Berkley’s son, Bill Berkley, began working at the bank alongside his father in the 70s, and Bill’s son, Brandon Berkley, currently works at the bank’s Colorado branch. The Colorado branch operates under the name ‘Berkley Bank.’
In 1998, Hal Berkley’s son, Jeff Berkley, started Alliance Bank with two partners. His previous banking institution had undergone a series of mergers, leading them to neglect customer and community service. This prompted Jeff Berkley to open his own bank, where he could build relationships with customers and the community. With assets of over $149 million, Alliance Bank has two Topeka locations. Alliance Bank is currently in the process of being acquired by Bennington State Bank.
As the Berkleys celebrate a century of banking service, the institutions they’ve served maintain a hope for the future that stays true to their roots.
“I would hope as the family moves along that they're proud of how we do things,” said Darren Gragg, current president and CEO of Bennington State Bank. “But I would hope that, you know, they're proud of how we conduct ourselves each day. Obviously, the results matter. But how you get to those results probably matters more.”