Since the opening of our first location at 1315 South Third Street, Jacksonville Beach over eleven years ago, we have grown to four full-service banking offices, serving the Beaches and East Jacksonville, Florida. Our growth and reputation continue to be a source of pride and compare very favorably with our peers. We are proud to report that as of December 31, 2008, our assets reached $268.0 million. Our loan portfolio, consisting of 1,106 loans, reached $207 million. Deposits, comprised of 6,695 accounts, totaled $237.5 million.
Growth in assets of 2.5%, loans of nearly 1% and deposits of 10.3% over the twelve month period ending December 31, 2008 is positive, especially in light of the economic downturn and increased competition in the banking and financial sector throughout Northeast Florida.
Oceanside Bank is a highly-regarded corporate citizen with a genuine concern for the growth and well-being of our community. Our focus toward development of relationship banking, specializing in real estate and consumer and small business lending and related deposit services, has served us very well since the inception of the bank. As evidenced by the growth numbers stated above, 2008 was no exception and we look forward to the challenges and opportunities facing us in 2009.
We encourage you to visit our banking offices and discover banking the Oceanside Bank way. You will find we are "Your kind of people. Your kind of bank."