More than 150 community members gathered Wednesday evening to celebrate U.S. Bank’s new branch in downtown Santa Barbara.

Mayor Helene Schneider cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the bank’s 668th California branch, at 936 State St.

“We’re really excited about having a presence in a great community like Santa Barbara. It’s really a world-class destination,” said Darrell Brown, U.S. Bank senior vice president and regional manager. “We found this location on the corner of State and Carrillo, the heart of the financial district, so we’re really glad to be here.”

U.S. Bank has opened three branches in the past three years, a privilege not all corporate banks have experienced, said Lisa Espindola, sales manager of business banking.

“This is the best bank I’ve ever worked for because it really values customer service,” Espindola said. “People mistakenly call us ‘us bank,’ and it’s great because we’re all about us serving you.”

Brown noted the bank’s vision statement — “All of us serving you” — and how that saying has defined its success.

“I believe it’s important to do whatever you can to make a difference for our customers,” he said. “Our success is defined by our real boss, which is always going to be our customers.”

Melissa McEacheron manages the branch with her more than 20 years of banking experience in Santa Barbara, most recently with the Bank of Santa Barbara. Susan Rogers, the wealth management adviser and managing director for client private reserve, has been in the business for more than 30 years. She is returning to Santa Barbara after a six-year hiatus, returning from San Francisco as a senior fiduciary officer of the Trust Division.

Linda Cheresh, wealth management consultant, and David Dickson, a private banker, will join McEacheron and Rogers.

“We always look for a way to garner the voice of the community, and sometimes the best way to do that is to have an open house,” Brown said. “Santa Barbara is a family community that is very closely knit. We want to redefine corporate citizenship, and we thought it would be great to open a branch and our doors to meet the community.”

In addition to expanding its business, U.S. Bank has contributed $6.8 million to more than 500 organizations in California.

— Noozhawk staff writer Alex Kacik can be reached at akacik@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.