Fifth Third Bank has announced it will open a new private banking and retail branch in Charlotte, North Carolina with the view to open several more offices in the city, reports The Charlotte Business Journal.

The new branch is likely to open in the first quarter, subject to regulatory approval, a move which also gives the bank its most visible uptown real estate to date as it will move into the Fifth Third Center, previously a Bank of America-owned building.

Fifth Third also plans to hire about 25 employees to staff a new unit the bank is establishing for handling mortgage processing and underwriting for Fifth Third lenders in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, according to the publication.

The Cincinnati-headquartered company aims to open up to a dozen branches in Charlotte over the next few years in a bid to establish a higher profile, Bob James, president of the North Carolina region, is reported to have said.