As the number of COVID-19 cases in the area continues to rise, Northwest Bank has decided to limit access to branch lobbies and move to serve customers through drive-through locations and alternative banking channels, effective Monday.

Northwest has five branches in Butler County: Butler, Sarver, Valencia, Zelienople and Cranberry Township.

Northwest Bank lobbies will be open by appointment only during normal business hours to control the number of people in a branch at any one time. Customers who need to access a safe-deposit box or have banking needs that can only be addressed in person can schedule an appointment one of two ways:

- Calling their preferred Northwest office or calling or emailing their preferred Northwest banker;

- Using the bank’s online appointment scheduler — customers can select their preferred location and enter their name, email address, telephone number and desired appointment date and time to schedule a call or in-person appointment.

All Northwest drive-throughs will remain open during normal business hours.