BSV Celebrates 120 Years of Community Banking in Southside Virginia

CARSON, Virginia: On May 2, the Bank of Southside Virginia (BSV) will celebrate 120 years of community banking excellence, tracing its roots to a branch opened in Stony Creek in 1905. For more than a century, BSV has remained a steadfast financial partner, helping individuals, families and businesses across Southside Virginia grow and thrive.

“We’re more than a bank — we’re neighbors committed to supporting our communities in every way we can,” said Will Clements, BSV Chairman and seventh-generation banker. “That commitment has been at the heart of our mission since day one.”

With 15 branches serving communities across the region, BSV combines trusted financial services with a deep commitment to local impact. In the last ten years alone, the bank contributed over $475,000 to support 816 local community initiatives — including investments in emergency services, education, youth athletics, the arts, county organizations and historic preservation — underscoring its role as both a financial and civic leader in the region. Additionally, BSV is one of the largest employers in the area.

“Through our outreach efforts and banking services, we are woven into the fabric of every community in Southside Virginia,” Clements said. “We believe in investing strategically in every market to fuel their continued vitality. We are honored to be a part of raising the profile of Southside Virginia and celebrating what makes each community we serve unique.”

BSV’s legacy dates back to 1933, when the Bank of Stony Creek, Bank of Carson and Prince George County Bank merged to form a stronger, unified institution. Growth continued with the construction of Jarratt Bank and the addition of new branches over the decades, including its most recent branch opening in Chester in 2002. Today, BSV remains proudly rooted in Carson, where it continues to serve as the bank’s headquarters. As the only community-owned local bank remaining in Southside Virginia, BSV makes lending and investment decisions at the local level - by people who live and work in the same neighborhoods as their customers.

“When you look at BSV’s history, you’re seeing Southside Virginia’s story unfold — from first homes to dream homes, local farms, small businesses, churches, non-profits, hunting clubs and more,” Clements said. As a community bank, BSV understands how each community it serves has its own culture and needs. This is something corporate banks want to do but rarely get right.

We don’t just offer loans or other banking products, we offer expert guidance, personal service, and a genuine long-term commitment to our customers’ financial well-being.”

At the same time, BSV’s history of making strategic and risk-adverse business decisions has helped it become one of the nation’s strongest performing community banks, as noted by several leading industry rating organizations. Those decisions have benefited both customers and shareholders.

Preparing for future decades

As BSV looks to the future, it is investing in new digital tools that make banking more convenient while maintaining its hallmark personal service. “We’re expanding how we serve customers, but we’re not changing who we are,” Clements said. “Local relationships will always come first.”

To reflect that focus, BSV recently introduced a refreshed brand identity, reinforcing its message: Built to serve. Here to stay.

About Bank of Southside Virginia

Founded in 1905, The Bank of Southside Virginia (BSV) is the only locally owned and operated community bank serving Southside Virginia. Headquartered in Carson with 15 branches across the region, BSV delivers trusted financial solutions with a focus on personalized service, long-term relationships and local decision-making. For over a century, BSV has supported individuals, families, small businesses and farmers—helping communities grow while preserving the region’s heritage. As an independent institution deeply rooted in the communities it serves, BSV is built to serve, here to stay and committed to banking that goes beyond transactions—because at BSV, it’s about people. Learn more at www.bsvnet.com.

Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

BSV Chairman Will Clements

Former BSV Chairman, Mr. John "Johnny" Clements, chats with BSV customer and Carson neighbor Wilfred Harville in 1991. BSV offered refreshments at the branches for many years.