Lacey's OceanFirst Bank Remains Open Amid Local Closures

LACEY, NJ — The OceanFirst Bank in Lacey is increasing its staff as nearby branches in Berkeley and Barnegat are scheduled to close over the next few months.

OceanFirst's branch at 791 Rt. 9 in Berkeley will close in December and the Barnegat branch at 845 W. Bay Ave. is scheduled to close in January.

In-person services will continue at OceanFirst's locations in Toms River, Manahawkin and Forked River.

Mayor Peter Curatolo praised OceanFirst Bank along with other banks in Lacey Township for keeping branches open for senior residents who continue to utilize in-person services.

“Not only are our banks staying here, our OceanFirst Bank is increasing its footprint, hiring people and going to take some of the depositors from the Berkeley branch and Barnegat branch,” Curatolo said, adding that many seniors rely on hand-to-hand banking if they struggle with technology.

Branches in Point Pleasant, Freehold, Red Bank, Spring Lake, Tinton Falls and West Long Branch were also included in the recent wave of closures.

According to George Destafney, president of OceanFirst Bank's central region, the reason for the closings is that a majority of their customers are moving toward digital and online banking.

"During the pandemic, more and more of our customers chose digital banking as their preferred way of accessing their accounts. As a result, our customers are using our branches less so we will be consolidating several locations in December 2021 and January 2022," said Destafney.

Despite the closures, Destafney says that OceanFirst Bank is focused on serving Ocean County customers.

"Ocean County has always been home to OceanFirst, and we are in the final stages of building a new 80,000 square foot building to expand our headquarters on Hooper Avenue in Toms River," Destafney said.

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