— David Jones has been named the chief operating officer for the two Muskogee branches of the American Bank of Oklahoma.

Jones was formerly CEO for the Bank of Oklahoma’s six branches in southeast Oklahoma. He spent 16 years with BOk, and worked for Citizens Bank for 16 years before it merged with BOk in 1994.

“To take care of the local community you need local people, and you need to be able to make local decisions,” Jones said. “That’s what we’re doing at American Bank of Oklahoma. It’s more of a community bank. I have complete authority here to make all the decisions. When I was at Bank of Oklahoma, all the decisions were made in Tulsa.”

Jones, a member of the Muskogee City Council since 2006, said his move has been well-received by his past customers.

“My customers appreciate the relaxed attitude of our employees,” Jones said. “I appreciate the more relaxing atmosphere myself. My goal since I’ve been in banking has been good customer service. I feel like I can provide that a lot better now.”

Jones supervises the bank’s 20 employees at the two Muskogee locations.

“I’m very impressed with the employees we have,” he said. “They are very customer service-oriented. I encourage that very much.”

The headquarters of the American Bank of Oklahoma is in Collinsville. Former Muskogee businessman Joe Landon and a group of investors formed the bank in 1998. It has assets of $130 million. Jones said local deposits are up 17 percent over last year.

“We feel good about that,” he said. “I plan on them going up a lot more.”

In addition to running the two Muskogee branches of American Bank, Jones is both chief operating officer and chief lending officer for the corporation. He also serves on the bank’s corporate board and the holding company board.

He said he spends most of his time at the bank’s east side location at the corner of York Street and Chandler Road. The bank also has a branch at 3300 W. Broadway.

Jones, a graduate of Muskogee High School and Oklahoma State University, is married to the former Kay Kent of Muskogee. They have four children and six grandchildren. He is the son of D.P. Jones and the late Mary Jones.

Reach Kirk Kramer at 684-2901 or kkramer@muskogeephoenix.com.